Moonlight Maelstrom
by Count Le MadPhantom
Summary: AU Fic. Don't read if you haven't read my other fics or it won't make sense. It's the midieval ages, where swords and sorcery abound. Too many pairings to list. Contains OC's. All the main TT characters will be in it, too.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I most definitely do not own the Teen Titans franchise, nor do I own any partial part of it, either._

**Author's Introduction…**

**As you could tell by the summary, this is an AU Fic, not set in the traditional Teen Titans universe. Anyway, more importantly, you should probably have read my other fics before you read this one… I have OC's that, if you haven't read my fics, will not make any sense to you. Anyway, if you have read my other fics and already know about my characters, by all means read on… I guess all I'm saying is don't flame me if you try to read this but just get confused by the setting and my OC's.**

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Prologue**_

It was in the evening, well after noon… perhaps 3:00 or so… and a lone shape on horseback galloped briskly along a dirt road. The beast's hooves thundered along the ground with great force, for this was a very large steed… much larger than most horses one sees. It's hair was well as it's long, thick mane were both a pearly white with not a splotch of color to interrupt it. It's tail was white also, and fanned out along behind it as it dashed through the dwindling daylight on that old country road. It wore a black-leather saddle with silver studs that clashed with it's white hair.

The rider, clad in an almost jewel-like sapphire-colored armor from head to toe and wearing a long, blue cape with white fur trim, gripped the saddle skillfully and not bouncing a bit as the huge horse ran along. The ornate blue helmet he wore covered his entire head, with only a row of slits for breathing on the front.

He and his mount ride on like this for a good couple of hours, and the sky begins to darken… but no signs of fatigue appear on either horse or rider, both keeping their pace up.

A sound began to grow in the distance… like a vast rumble coming from some huge creature. A moment later, however, it suddenly became clear that multiple voices were ringing out along the countryside.

A shape began to emerge on the horizon… buildings. It was a small country village.

The armored figure abruptly yanked on the reigns of his steed, causing the animal to whinny and snort as it slowed to a stop just outside the gates. Petting the animal's mane fondly with his armored hand, the figure reached carefully toward a thick, gray belt around his middle with numerous satchels and pockets… from which, he suddenly produced a large, red apple. He held it up and the horse whinnied and took it from his hand, chomping noisily on the treat.

The tall and armored shape began marching slowly and purposefully towards the gates… they were wide open, as if the gatekeepers had suddenly abandoned their posts. The cries from the village were clearly audible now.

"**_DOWN WITH THE KING! DOWN WITH THE KING! DOWN WITH THE KING! DOWN WI_**—"

The entire time, the man simply walked forward, never stopping or speeding up, never turning his head. After a moment, he finally reached the crowd.

He stood there, making no movements… as if he were merely observing the rioting group with mild interest.

Finally, they began to notice the new arrival. A person fell silent as they stared in surprise. The person next to that noticed, and also fell silent. One by one, the crowd looked over and saw the sapphire sentinel standing there, the moonlight reflecting gently off of it's tall, metallic form.

Someone spoke…

"… Who the bloody Hell is this? Another traveling mercenary?"

"Or perhaps some kind of lune escaped from the asylum?" Another said, brandishing a pitchfork covered in what looked horrifically like blood… as if it had been used recently.

A third person waved a lit torch and cried. "No! I know who this is… Why, it's another one of the king's thugs, come to try and stop us…!"

There was a general murmur of agreement among the agitated rioters.

"Well…?" A woman crowed. "Show your face, why don't you? And we'll know whom we'll have the pleasure of hanging at sunrise!"

The figure in ice-blue, sapphire-like armor just stood silently. But suddenly, and without warning… he waved part of his blue cape back over his shoulder… revealing a long, thin, silver scabbard with a golden handle at the end. He reached down… grabbed the golden hilt… and pulled.

With a soft metallic hiss, a frozen blade, shining in the moonlight with a whitish-blue sheen, emerged from the sterling silver scabbard. It seemed about four feet in length and was very narrow with a pointed, razor-sharp tip. The entire white and blue blade shined as though wet and exhuded a frosty mist, as though made from ice.

On his other arm, he wore a large, perfectly round shield that shared many of the sword's traits, such as the icy form, bluish-white color, and aura of cold mist.

Lastly, a huge case of white material, fastened to his back by teal-and-gray straps, seemed to hold a huge, sapphire-blue war-hammer that shone with a frozen texture.

The rebels gasped collectively, and many of their number stumbled back in surprise and awe.

With a calm, deliberate movement, the guy reached up… and removed the helmet…

…Allowing a cascade of long, white hair to flow down. It seemed to shimmer almost, reflecting the dim glow of the night right on down to the teal bow used as a ponytail holder near the middle of his back.

His whitish, deathly pale face framed a pair of blood-hued crimson orbs that served as his eyes… and despite his pallid features, his face was smooth and youthful as though he were only a young boy in his teens.

"Now…" His commanding voice rang out suddenly, startling everyone present with it's power and authority. "… Someone kindly inform me of what's going on."

It was not a request.

For several moments, all were silent… none of them daring to approach the tall, tallow-faced youth wielding enchanted weaponry. Finally though, a person emerged and began to explain of their revolt and listed off myriad reasons for it. The young man examined his hands absent-mindedly, as though not even listening, and when the person speaking had finished… he sighed and glared at them.

"Right. In any case, this has gone on way too long. So…" His red eyes flashed dangerously in the dark, hazy night. "… If you good folks would be so kind as to return to your homes and stop this nonsense, it would be much appreciated."

Everyone stared incredulously, slack-jawed and shocked. Who did this fool think he was…?

"My name is not important." He hissed icily, as though he'd read their minds. "… But if you must have some way to refer to me… most of my men refer to me as Sub-Zero. I am a knight of the royal guard, appointed by his majesty the king to… ah well, to do whatever he wants, I suppose."

The crowd began to mumble and fidget with anger and anxiety. After a moment, a man with a long gray beard of about seven feet in height stepped forward brandishing a large, rusty, wood-chopping hatchet.

"… You know, I would much rather not have to commit any slaughters tonight… I haven't had dinner." The youth sighed coldly, with complete calmness.

"Slaughter…?" the big man boomed. "You and what army, you damnable runt?" He demanded furiously.

Without stopping to think or wait for an answer, the huge rebel roared and charged with axe uplifted, prepared to strike the armored swordsman down. Sub-Zero did not move, and his face remained frozen in an expressionless, hollow stare.

**_CLANG!_**

The sound of shattering metal split the night air apart, and the crowd went wild with cheering and hearty applause… until the sparks created by the clash of metal-against-metal disappeared, and revealed what had happened.

Sub-Zero had made no attempt to block or parry the attack. He hadn't had to. The instant the axe hit his blue armor; the large blade had shattered into a swarm of tiny fragments and hit the ground.

The brute looked with a stupid blank stare from the man in front of him, to his ruined weapon…

The knight held out his hand. "Nice try I'm afraid… but you'll have to do better. I'm accustomed to fighting _real_ opponents who actually try to **injure** you." He sniffed coldly.

Blinking awkwardly at the outstretched hand, the thug grunted and took it as a peace gesture. He grabbed it and shook it.

The last mistake he ever made.

For then, he instantly began to shiver as Sub-Zero's hand glowed with a blue light… and a moment later, his hand was consumed by frost. He yelped in fright and tried desperately to withdraw the frozen appendage, but to no avail. Within moments, his entire form was engulfed by a snowy breeze and turned to shining ice, and the unfortunate rebel had time enough for one anguished wail before his head was consumed by ice.

The knight withdrew his hand, leaving nothing but a ghastly ice sculpture in front of him. With a flourish, he puckered up his pale lips… and blew forcefully.

The statue wobbled, and then, sank to one side with a shrill creak… just before shattering noisily among the ground, the multitude of tiny shards creating a pattering sound that echoed off into the night air.

Sub-Zero turned to the stunned crowd. "Right then. Does anyone else wish to die tonight…?"

Silence.

"Good. I thought as much. Run along now, and get back on home." He turned and began to walk back to the white horse, which had been waiting patiently near the gates. Then, he abruptly stopped as though he had just remembered something. "Oh, and the next time you have any complaints against the way his majesty does things… write a letter, won't you?"

Then, with a gallop and a whoosh of air, he and the horse were gone.

That night, the humbled villagers went back home and knew that the old saying was true after all.

Death really _does_ ride a pale horse.

* * *

Sighing, theknight left the village at nightfall... 

It wasn't a rare occurence that he had to put down rebellions. Most people were happy with the good King's rule, but... a single man's protest could spark an entire riot.

It was his job to prevent this.

In truth, he often acted cruel, but... He wasn't really such a bad guy... he didn't think so anyway. Just becuase he took his profession seriously, and wasn't afraid to use force, didn't automatically make him cold-hearted, did it...?

Heh... Cold Hearted. That fit well. He had, after all, inherited his family's innate mastery over elemental frost... Hell, his chilling demeanor and freezing powers had been the reason for his men giving him the moniker, "Sub-Zero"... He cuoldn't recall the last time he'd used his real name... Oh well...

He departed the village on his horce, hooves thumping softly on the dusty road as he went...

_**A Couple Miles Away At A Local Convent…**_

"Sister Jeanette "Jinx" Black… you have formally been accused of attempted murder as well as the use and extensive knowledge of witchcraft. How do you answer?" A tall elderly woman with a hooked nose and wearing black robes demanded crossly.

Just across from her, sat a young girl in a small, wooden chair. She was tied to the chair with rope, and her hands and feet were bound together with iron shackles. She was dressed in a rather shabby tan gown that seemed several sizes too big for her petite frame.

Stranger yet was her appearance. Pale gray skin, the shade of a shadow, combined with a shock of neon-pink hair tied into two bullhorn-shaped pigtails, gave her a very unique look.

"If anyone here has attempted murder here, you old hag…" She hissed silkily, her catlike eyes narrowing hatefully. "… It's you. Those servant girls did nothing except accidentally knock over a candelabra… and you gave them 30 lashes with a whip!"

The girl, Jinx, remembered the occasion well… she'd been so outraged by the injustice of the punishment; she'd hexed the whip so that it flailed backwards and began lashing the one wielding it… the biggest mistake she'd ever made.

"SILENCE! My authority will not be questioned, you little witch-whelp!" The convent mistress crowed angrily.

"Do what you want." Jinx answered with a shrug. "… I don't really care anymore…"

Ever since her parents had sent her away to live here, her life had been even more miserable than at home. She'd always been different. And feared because of it. Between her bad-luck causing magic, and her rather dark appearance, it was no wonder she was thought of as a witch.

"Fine!" Spat the old woman. Her eyes, though they'd been flashing with malice a moment ago, suddenly displayed an immense satisfaction.

She snapped her gnarled fingers. A moment of dead silence passed, then, a couple of monks in brown, hooded robes shuffled slowly in.

"You summoned us, ma'am?" One asked respectfully.

"Yes…" She answered with a deadly calm. "If you would be so kind, please go and fetch some oil. Oh and a few bales of straw… and a crate of torches."

"Oil… straw…and torches?" The second monk asked, clearly puzzled. "But… why…?"

"Why? Why, because we are to have ourselves a witch-burning in exactly one hour."

The monks stared confusedly… but then their gaze drifted over to the young girl shackled to the chair, and their eyes widened with shock.

"Ma'am… surely you _jest_! The church forbids convents from enacting such punishment! And besides, 'tis but a girl…"

"_**DO YOU WANT TO BURN WITH HER**_?" The old crone screeched.

"… N-no ma'am…"

"Then do as I **say**!"

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Thank the Good Lord..." Sub-Zero groaned softly, catching sight of a large, looming building in the distance... a convent. Surely, **THEY** had a room he might borrow for the night.

Making his way up the dark, dirt path, he knocked carefully on the huge, wrought iron door. A small slit opened up, revealing a pair of nervous eyes.

"Um... Wh-Who is it...?"

It was one of the servant girls, apparently.

"I'm sorry to intrude so late, but..." Zero yelled through the door. "... Please. I am a soldier of his majesty, the king... and I am seeking a room for the night. The nearest in is in the next town, many miles off... might you have a room I could use...?"

THe girls eyes went wide as dinner plates.

"Oh! I..I... I am terribly sorry, Sir Knight but... We... er... have just..." Her eyes shifted nervously. "... Rented out the last to some minstrels." She squeaked. " I am afraid you will have to bed down in the woods, tonight."

Then, the little opening popped shut again, leaving a shocked knight standing there hot, tired, and hungry.

He looked incredulously at the massive, multi-storied, brick-and-earthen building before him... there was... no **WAY**... they had every room occupied.

He looked back and forth to make sure no one was watching...

... And started to climb the wall...

"To Hell with Minstrels..." he muttered crossly. "I need a damn bed..."

* * *

Jinx gazed dully out into space as the workers poured buckets of crude oil at her bare feet, soaking the dry straw that had been heaped around her. Her hands were shackled, and her ankles tied together with rope, and her eyes blindfolded. 

She could have escaped easily... but the fact was, she didn't want to. She just didn't care anymore.

If she was going to die... she might as well die this way...

* * *

"Hm...Almost...got it..." 

Zero grabbed the top of the wall, and pulled himself over with a pant...

Once on, he lay down and sighed. It wasn't exactly chivalrous to sneak into a convent and use a bed, but... He was tired. And he knew they were lying...

About to leap off the wall into the courtyard, he froze at what he saw.

A girl. A girl, tied to a post like a prisoner, bound and blindfolded...

He was confused until... he saw the straw. And the oil... and the lit torch held by a nearby monk...

They intended to burn her!

"Well... Minstrels, huh? Indeed!" He snorted. "This is why they didn't want me in there... Burning is strictly prohibited for the Church! If they wield this kind of power... why… The word, 'Sanctuary' will mean nothing..."

As he watched, he saw the torch flung to her feet... and the oiled straw burst into flame...

The captive, though she'd remained motionless and calm, must've felt the heat of the encroaching flames, because instantly she cried out and began wriggling desperately against her bonds...

He knew what he had to do...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jinx was afraid. For the first time in her sixteen years, she was deathly afraid. She had been indifferent before, but now... now that death was literally at her door...

She screamed, struggling against her bonds as some of the flames rose higher adn began to scorch her pale, bare feet.

Suddenly... she was aware of a gust of cool wind... and suddenly, the chains, ropes, and blindfold all fell off... her vision was blurry; she felt faint from the heat, but...

Jinx could make out a shape... of... a man? With a mane of long, white hair down to his back, and ruby-red eyes, and wearing pure white robes with shining blue armor.

"Hold on to me..." he whispered in a soft, almost musical voice...

Jinx, in her slightly delirious state thanks to the heat, thought surely this was some strange angel or spirit come to deliver her from the fires... gladly, she threw her newly-freed arms around him...

"I'm sorry, Madame... but as you know, Burning it strictly prohibited for the church... So I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate this..." He motioned to the girl in his arms "... Ta-ta!"

Then, he leaped over the wall and he was gone...

* * *

Setting the girl down once he and his horse were a good distance away from the convent, he gently kneeled over and held out his palm... a breeze of cold air blew out, soothing her burnt feet. 

"Allow me to introduce myself, Mademoiselle... I am Sub-Zero, or at least that's what they call me. What's your name, Madame?" He asked her softly, concerned for her safety.

She looked up at him with tired, bleary eyes... they reminded him a bit of the mountain lions he'd seen in his travels; very catlike... and she spoke.

"...J...Ji..Jinx... My name is.. _Jinx_."

**_Well, that's the first installment of my new AU fic… hope you find it entertaining, if only because it's a change of pace. The other Teen Titans characters, as well as my other OC's will be introduced soon as well._**

**_Read and Review!_**

**--_The Mad Phantom_…**


	2. Chapter One

_Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans._

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter One**_

The woods were a quiet place to be to be in the mornings. No hustle and bustle of people, for their were none… only the sounds of birds and the way a slight breeze would make the leafy branches hiss and rattle.

It was very peaceful. The quietness, as well as the dim light of dawn, gave the entire forest an air of restful tranquility. A testament to the elegance of nature when no man has touched it.

Or, at least… that's how it should have been.

"**_PULL_**!"

A wooden boomerang flew up high into the sky, twirling rapidly and spinning in erratic patterns while on a straight course. It sped upwards and at an angle, soaring at high speed through the air.

A few moments later, a loud click rang out in the air, followed immediately by the whir of something cutting through the air at breakneck speed.

With a thumping sound, the boomerang was pinned to a tree by a long arrow.

Down on the ground, the sources of this commotion were applauding the hit: A pair of traveling mercenaries.

"I think you're getting better." Observed the first one. He was clad in a brown-leather coat over a yellow tunic and black pants and boots. A thick red scarf was tied firmly around his neck, and he wore a black-and –white mask that covered his eyes completely, but left his face and his unkempt black hair untouched.

A long Bo staff was strapped to his back, and a belt covered in pockets and satchel-bags was around his waist.

"Hmph! Either that or you're getting worse." The second replied. "You usually toss those boomerangs harder than that, don't you?"

The second one of the duo was wearing a long-sleeved black tunic with a white bandanna around his neck. His pants and travel-worn boots were both deep green. He was currently holding a large crossbow covered in various switches and gears. Another one just like it was in a holster at his side. A large gray quiver full of long arrows hung on his back.

The one with the crossbow sighed and put the weapon into a second holster on his side, opposite the other holster. He looked at his partner and spoke:

"So… now that we've got morning warm-up down… should we eat first, then travel? Or vice-versa?"

The masked one sat down on a nearby stump and gazed thoughtfully outwards. "Well… I guess we should eat first. It's a long way to Port Lune, and we need the food."

"Great!" The archer cried, clapping his hands together with a pleased expression. "Now… what're you going to cook?"

The one with the staff blinked a couple times, his masked visage echoing confusion. "Me…? You're confused, Smoke. It's YOUR turn to cook breakfast. Not me."

The archer, named Smoke, instantly lost the grin. "Huh? But I made it yesterday!" He protested. "I got some eggs outta that bird nest and cooked 'em over an open fire… over easy, remember?"

His partner snorted and shook his head. "No. It was deer. Roast deer. I hunted it down and cooked it."

"The Hell you did!" Smoke protested. "Listen, Robin, I ain't got the best memory, but I know what I ate for breakfast yesterday!"

Robin, as the masked mercenary was called, just stared. "But, I could've sworn…"

They were both silent. Finally, Robin spoke.

"Smoke… we need to find some real employment, you know that?" He said irritably. "I mean, look at us! Penniless mercenaries! We travel all day, fend for ourselves, fight for a living, and what do we get out of the deal? A big, fat sack of nothing! We can't even remember who made breakfast yesterday!"

"Aw, now don't say all that…" Smoke said bracingly. "… The letter, remember? That could be our ticket to—"

Robin snatched a small piece of paper out of is belt and held it up. "This? Smoke, come on! We get offers like this all the time and they're all bogus."

"I know that!" Smoke protested irritably, "But this could be the real deal! This could finally be the job that sets us up for life!"

"Or the one that finally kills us." Robin responded dryly. He sighed and tossed the note to Smoke, who read it again to himself for the second time since they'd received it.

'_Greetings, gentlemen. We are in desperate need of armed escort to the royal castle in the capitol. We cannot disclose our reasons, but we can pay handsomely._

_We are likely to encounter some dangerous situations; and we may not be able to handle everything on our own. We have heard of your reputation as skilled warriors and we believe your services would be invaluable._

_If you are interested in our offer, please come to Port Lune and go to an Inn called The Shark Hook. When you arrive, ask the clerk for the room keys for "The girls". She will know what you mean, and give you the keys and room number for us._

_Please at least consider our offer; we have lost many prospective escorts due to their fear of the dangers this job may include. Remember, money is no object._

_Sincerely, Gentlemen…_

_--Anonymous'_

This strange letter had appeared on the doorstep of Robin and Smoke's shared cabin just the other day, and immediately they'd been enticed by the offer. There were no wars going on at the moment, so the demand for mercenaries such as themselves was dwindling, just like their cash.

"I'm telling you…" Smoke reassured his partner. "… I know this is legit. Just… think of it as a gut feeling."

"Smoke… the last time you had a gut feeling, it was about that barmaid whom you could've sworn winked at you. She knocked you out the window."

The archer slapped his forehead impatiently. "That's beside the point!"

"Look…" Robin interrupted him "I'll go along with this stuff. Besides I'm as interested in this as you are! But… I just can't shake the feeling that there's got to be some kind of catch to this…"

"Rob… Robby, you worry too much!" Smoke chuckled.

"And you worry too little." Robin retorted. "You should be more cautious. We can't believe everything we read." He sighed. "… But… this IS our only lead towards work, so…"

"… Yes?" Smoke asked hopefully.

Robin groaned, defeated. "I… I guess we can go."

_**Late That Afternoon, At Port Lune…**_

Port Lune was, as the name suggested, a tiny port town on the edge of the sea. Aside from fishing, shipping, and boat-travel, it didn't have much in the way of economic value… but then again, that's beside the point; back to the story.

"Now listen, Smoke, just let me do all the talkin'" Robin advised his friend as they walked down a cobblestone street in search of the inn.

Smoke shrugged and nodded. He was indifferent to this, as he wasn't much of a talker anyway… especially not when his arrows could do the talking.

They looked around, but saw nothing but houses… most of which were small wooden shacks with rusty metal pipes that served as chimneys.

The streets were strangely empty, as though everybody was staying indoors for some reason… although, they weren't missing much if they were. The shacks and bumpy cobblestone street made for a pretty shabby looking town.

The only redeeming feature was the beautiful coastline nearby that gave a perfect view of the sea, as well as a good location for the docks.

"Well, I can't say this is a good sign…" Robin chuckled. "… Judging from the looks of this place, I doubt there is anybody here that would be able to buy us lunch, much less 'pay handsomely'."

"Maybe they aren't from here." Smoke suggested. "… But even if they are, you know what they say: 'Sometimes there are diamonds in the rough.'"

"Yeah… and sometimes there are rocks in the head… your head, namely. I can't believe you talked me into this…"

They went on like this several minutes, wandering the streets, and seeing only three or four other people the whole time.

"Maybe… we should ask somebody for directions?" Robin thought aloud.

Smoke snorted derisively. "Yeah… as long as you're doin' the askin'. These folks give me the creeps…"

Suddenly, Robin stopped and Smoke walked into this back with an 'oof!'.

"What's wrong?"

Robin pointed up to a large wooden building in front of them with a straw roof and multiple rusted chimneys… much bigger than the houses, but still pretty shabby. A large makeshift sign with painted letters saying, 'The Shark Hook', and adorned by a gigantic set of skeletal shark teeth adorned the spot above the old doors.

"Shark Hook…" Robin mused. "… Er… I guess this must be the place."

Smoke looked uneasily up at the set of massive teeth above the entranceway. "Uh… yeah… right…" he paused "Hey Robin… why don't you go in first…?"

Rolling his masked eyes, Robin carefully walked up the rickety wooden steps, causing them to emit creaking noises and small pops. Thankfully, they held up to his weight and Smoke followed along behind.

With his gloved hand outstretched, the masked one knocked hesitantly… and a moment later, the door swung open, revealing a dimmed interior lit only by what looked like a yellowish glow.

They cautiously entered the building, hoping this was indeed the correct place.

Once inside, the first thing they noticed was the crowd. Unlike the streets outside, this place was full of people… very alarming looking people.

A man sat at a barstool sharpening a long buck knife on a chunk of stone, letting off a screeching scratching noise as he did so. More alarming was the fact that the only teeth this man seemed to have were gold teeth.

Next to him, was a man in a feathered hat and a cape wearing an eye patch. He looked like some sort of pirate; he was tapping impatiently on the bar as if waiting for a drink… and it looked like a long, metal hook hand was doing the tapping.

Another group of shady men wearing hooded cloaks of blacks, purples, and blues sat at a round table smoking cigars and playing poker. They muttered back and forth to each other in voices that were either too far away to be audible, or in another language… Smoke and Robin weren't sure which.

In the far corner a bunch of thuggish looking men in rusty armor were making catcalls and whistles at a barmaid who was batting her eyelashes and wearing just a tad too much makeup.

The two guys looked at each other uncertainly.

"Uh… where's the clerk?" Smoke wondered to himself.

Robin looked around for a moment, masked stare scanning the area. After a minute, he pointed. "There!"

There, at the far end of the place next to a rather decrepit looking old staircase, was a desk with cubbyholes for each of the rooms of the Inn. Most of these were filled with cobwebs, as though they'd not been used in a long time.

A rather plump woman wearing a dark blue dress with a tattered white apron sat behind the desk on a rocking chair, reading a dusty-looking book of some sort.

Smoke motioned to her. "Well… you said, 'Let me do all the talkin''. So get to talkin'."

* * *

"Grr… I don't believe this!" 

A young girl with deep gray eyes and jet black hair scowled as she glared out the window from the top floor of the Inn.

"We had _everything_… no… anything **and**_ everything. _And now look at us!" She banged her fist on the window frame with enough force to make it shake violently on it's antique hinges.

"We could not have remained home, sister… it was not safe." Another voice, very similar to the dark-headed girl's but softer and lighter, came from the other end of the room.

It was another girl who looked just like the first, except with red hair and shining emerald-green eyes. She was packing a couple of small suitcases.

Both were dressed in long-skirted dresses, and long gloves that reached to the elbows. They both wore high-heeled shoes, and rings.

The only differences between their clothing was the coloring. The redhead's was mainly red with bright green frills on the skirt and matching green frills on the edges of the elbow-gloves. Her shoes were pink, and she wore a ruby-and-emerald jewel ornament in her long hair that looked like a rose.

Her sister, on the other hand, had a bit darker attire. The dress was black, with silver buttons and purple frills. Her gloves were purple, too, with silvery designs. Her high-heels were white and she wore a bejeweled hair ornament as well, all though… hers was sterling silver and onyx, and shaped like a fanged wolf head.

"If those damned… damned… _things_, hadn't of come, we'd still be at home, enjoying all the comforts of royalty!" The dark haired sister muttered sullenly.

"… And that is why we must reach the castle, correct Blackfire?" The other responded. "To seek help from this kingdom. If we could just persuade the ki—"

"You're fooling yourself, Starfire. You and all the others that sent us out here!" The second snapped. "… what makes you think he'd actually help us, just out of the kindness of his heart?"

Silence…

Thankfully, the redhead was spared from her sister's foul mood by a sudden knock at the door. It was shortly followed by the sound of someone fiddling with the lock.

They both fell silent, and stared at the door at the far end of the room in surprise.

A sudden click revealed the door had been unlocked, and a moment later, it swung slowly open with a barely audible creak.

"Uh… Hello…? Anybody home?" A young, slightly raspy, but definitely male voice boomed in.

"We're here looking for somebody who sent a note…" Another that wasn't quite as deep or loud as the first, but more businesslike and confident sounding.

They girls glanced at each other in confusion for a moment before the idea clicked and they realized who was here. Instantly, they both got smiles across their face. Grabbing a candle so that she could see who was here for the job, Blackfire dashed across to the door, making sure her hair was ok…

"Yes! Oh, we're so glad you came! We've been looking forward to seeing the ones everyone calls… the finest… mercenaries… around these… parts?" Her voice trailed off sheepishly, and she stared in incredulousness at the pair before her.

A boy in a brown coat with a stick and some satchels, and another that was taller with messy brown hair and crossbows in holsters at his sides, with a quiver of arrows.

… **THESE** were the finest mercenaries around these parts?

"Uh…." Blackfire wasn't quite sure what to say… this certainly hadn't been whom she'd expected.

Abruptly, she was moved out of the way by Star, who smiled cheerily at the visitors. "Yes! Do you think there is any possibility that you could perhaps take us to the castle…? Please?" She chirped, getting straight to the point.

All Robin and Smoke could do was stare. The long, elegant dresses and jewel-encrusted hair ornaments clashed badly with the dreary, drab inn room and made them wonder just who these girls were.

"Uhh… Well…" Robin stuttered. For some reason, this redhead had his tongue numb and his head light. "… Er… If you'd excuse us for a minute… so I could, uh… consult with my associate…" He stammered.

Abruptly, he dragged Smoke back out the doorway, and huddled with him like a 2 person football team.

"Smoke… did you see those dresses? And the hair?" Robin whispered seriously. "I think… Smoke, you were right. This is legit. These girls look like they're rich!"

Unfortunately, Robin groaned as he realized Smoke's gaze had strayed to the black-haired girl, who was bent over packing the suitcases her sister had abandoned. Clearly, he hadn't really been paying attention to the clothes…

Robin whipped out his Bo staff and smacked him on the head with it.

"OW! I heard you, dammit!" He hissed, rubbing his head. "… But what do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do."

Robin dragged the archer, still muttering darkly, back into the room.

"Err… right." Robin cleared his throat. "My colleague and I would be more than happy to get you to the castle…"

"… If the price is right." Smoke added. Robin elbowed him. "Ow!"

A bag flew out of the corner of the room, apparently having been thrown by Blackfire. Smoke caught it and noticed it was… strangely heavy…

While Robin and Starfire continued talking, Smoke curiously undid the tie that kept the brown leather bag closed. He peered in and… his jaw dropped.

Gold coins… silver coins… chunks of precious metals... The big bag was nothing but a heaped mass of valuables; it contained what was virtually a small fortune.

He stared up, hastily wiping the drool from his slack mouth and saw Blackfire in the corner leaning against a support beam of the roof and winking at him.

"Well… It would be a dangerous mission, so that raises the price a bi—" Robin was telling Star.

"**_We'll do it_**!" Smoke interrupted.

Robin stared at him. With a grin, he opened up the bag for him to see… with very much the same effect as before. The masked youth managed to close his mouth and shake himself out of his stunned state.

"Yeah. We'll do it. Just let us know when you finish packing, we'll be waiting downstairs…"

He gave a hasty bow, and dragged Smoke down the steps again, leaving the girls alone.

Blackfire looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… they don't look like warriors to me, but…" She smiled. "I think the stupid one's kinda cute."

Star just giggled and continued packing.

_**That's the end of that chap. I'll try to update with another soon, but it may be a while because I'm writing this fic and my other at the same time.**_

_**In the meantime, review pretty please… I loves me reviews.**_

**_--The Mad Phantom…  
_**


	3. Chapter Two

_Disclaimer: (Short, big-eared man with green skin stumps in) Hmm… Owns the Teen Titans, young Madphantom does not. (Leaves abruptly)_

**Ahem… Thank you, Master Yoda, for that disclaimer. Anyways, I'm sorry about not having this chapter up sooner. But I've been busy lately, and haven't had much time for fanfics. But, I've tried to make up for it by making this chapter longer and better than usual. So, on to the chap!**

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Two**_

"Where are we going…?" Jinx asked, holding nervously onto the black saddle of the horse she was riding. Sub-Zero, sitting just in front of her and actually directing the animal, answered amiably.

"Well, first thing, we'll need to get you somewhere safe. I mean, I'm not sure, but… That convent mistress didn't look like the sort to just give up. She's probably got people pursuing us by now."

"Somewhere… safe?" Jinx asked. Suddenly, she was struck by an alarming realization. "I… you're not taking me home, are you?" She demanded.

"Of course, if you'd like!" He answered quickly. "Just tell me where, and I'll be happy to—"

"But I don't want to go home! Those miserable people are the ones that sent me there in the first place."

Sub-Zero abruptly tugged on the reins a bit, causing the horse to snort and slow down. "They… sent you?" He asked softly. "… To **THAT** place?"

"They wanted me to be safe." She said sarcastically. "Or so they said. They were glad to get rid of me."

The knight looked at her strangely. "… Surely that's an overstatement." He stated. "What kind of pare—"

"No kind." She answered. "They aren't my parents. Not as far as I'm concerned. They were just like the rest of the village; they all hated me."

Zero couldn't help but have his curiosity piqued by all this. "… Hate you? Why?"

She paused and looked at him with an expression of incredulousness.

"Honestly… have you even had a good look at me since last night?" She asked dryly. "Maybe you didn't have a good excuse last night because you couldn't see me in the darkness… but out here in daylight, there's no excuse. Take a look at me; what am I?" She asked irritated.

Zero gulped inwardly and remained silent. He wasn't really sure how to answer that. "Uh… well… a girl?"

She slapped her forehead. "Obviously! But what about my skin? And my hair? And my eyes?" She snapped.

"But you've got lovely eyes…" Zero protested softly before he could restrain himself. He immediately kicked himself.

Her ranting was stopped abruptly. "… What?"

"Uh… What?" He asked back, feigning ignorance.

"… What did you just say?"

He paused. Should he tell her? "I… I said… well, your eyes don't look that bad to me." He said with a weak grin. After a moment of silence, he became a little bolder. "And neither do your skin and hair, for that matter."

Jinx was silent. He continued hesitantly. "I mean, you've probably noticed by now that I'M not exactly the personification of normality myself."

"But… you're just an albino… aren't you?"

Sub-Zero flinched. He looked at her incredulously, much like she'd done him earlier… and burst into laughter.

"An albino? Certainly not! I mean, I've got white hair, and I'm in desperate need of a tan, but that's not the reason…"

"And red eyes." Jinx added.

"Yeah, but… not because of that. It's just that… Well, all my family are like this… or at least, they were. They're all deceased, unfortunately."

"I'm sorry…" Jinx said quickly, feeling like guilty. "I… I just assumed…"

"It's nothing." He assured. "But I can tell you from experience, Miss… being different, doesn't automatically make you worthless."

Turning hastily back around, he lashed the reins of the horse and shouted, "**_Yah_**!"

Immediately, the horse bucked up on it's hind legs and whinnied loudly, before taking off like a bat out of Hell.

"We should hurry." He explained. "Port Lune is nearby. It's not a good place to stay for too long, but… it's got a shop, and we can at least stock up before we set out."

"Where are we going?" Jinx repeated, somewhat irritated that he had never answered her.

"Well… if you really don't want to go home…" He paused. "… I suppose…"

There was a long moment of silence.

"… Well?" Jinx asked.

"… The capitol." He said. "To the castle in the capitol city."

Jinx gasped. "The… the castle? But why?"

"Because it's where I live." Zero stated flatly. "And I daresay they've got room for one more."

"Who's….?" Jinx began, but realization hit mid-sentence. "Wait… me?"

"Of course! What else would you have me do?" He asked "Toss a girl out into the road, and leave her to fend for herself? I'm a knight, remember? There's a little thing called, '_Chivalry_.' I use it."

This remark really sent Jinx's mind reeling. She looked down at the saddle, trying to clear her thoughts. She was too distracted by her thoughts to notice that she was blushing… heavily.

They rode on for several minutes in complete silence, neither of them saying a word.

"Sub-Zero…. Zero…" She started. "… Last night… you… did something… to the burns on my feet. You cooled them off somehow, just by touching them. I don't understand… how?"

The armored youth shifted nervously in the saddle. He had REALLY hoped she wouldn't ask this question. But, as manners dictated, he had to answer.

"Well… I…" He stopped short and sighed heavily. "Did I ever tell you why people call me 'Sub-Zero'?"

"No…"

"Well… you're about to find out."

He looked at the scenery, most of which was short, stubby vegetation along with the occasional roadside tree. One such tree was especially tall, with green leaves covering it.

"You see that tree?"

"Uh… yeah…" Jinx said slowly, not getting the point.

"Watch it very carefully."

He removed his left glove, and halted the horse. Dismounting, he held up his arm and pointed his hand with the palm facing towards the tree, fingers up.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

And… Jinx suddenly felt a chilly breeze that was unnatural for this time of the year. Shivering, he covered herself… she'd forgotten she was still only wearing that baggy old gown.

And then, she watched and gasped as the entire length of ground around Zero frosted over with ice… it was frozen solid, blades of glass turned into icy needles and rocks turned to tiny glaciers.

Cold, snowy winds blew with a howling noise, as if it had suddenly become winter. The wind swirled into Zero's palm, and collected there, resulting in a misty, white sphere.

Without warning, a blinding beam of blue light launched itself from the knight's palm with a sound like a cannon firing.

It hit the tree dead on, and there was an explosion of snow and ice…

Not wanting to be blinded by the bluish white glow that surrounded the area, she covered her eyes until it subsided. When she felt the light die down, she uncovered her eyes, and stared.

The tree was still there, perfectly intact… except it was frozen.

It seemed now as if it was made out of pure crystal, shining and slightly transparent… but it was ice, frozen solid all the way through.

"Now you know." Sub-Zero said rather bluntly. "… Please… Don't be afraid though; I didn't mean to—"

"I'm not afraid." Jinx interrupted with a shrug. "It's just that… I… I didn't know anyone else had strange powers around here."

He blinked. "Anyone else…? Anyone besides whom?"

"Well…" She started slyly. For the first time since he'd met her, the girl actually smiled a bit. "… Besides me."

"You've got powers?" He asked, looking impressed. "I didn't realize! What can you do?" He asked eagerly and curiously.

Her grin faded somewhat. Under her breath she mumbled something.

"…I… I'm sorry, I didn't hear you…" he said. He didn't want to upset her, but he wanted to know.

She sighed heavily and sat down on the ground. "… I'm bad luck." She said simply.

"You're bad luck?" he repeated. "How so?"

"… Like this."

She pointed her index finger at the tree that Sub-Zero had just frozen. For a moment, it seemed to flash with a rosy pink glow. A moment later, the tree literally began falling apart. Leaf by leaf, it fell into bits and shattered on the ground for no apparent reason.

Sub-Zero stared stunned. "That's amazing! You'd make a good warrior, maybe." He said with a laugh.

"I'm no warrior." She said, suddenly sounding depressed. "I'm exactly what people call me. A jinx."

He winced. "So that's why your name's Jinx?"

"Yes… my real name is Jeanette, but… I've always been called Jinx. I've never done anything in my life except bring bad luck to people…"

"That's not true." Sub-Zero said immediately. "You haven't brought me any."

"You got stuck with some brat with bad-luck powers… isn't that unlucky enough?" She asked, staring at the ground.

For a long moment, there was only silence. Then, there was the metallic clink of armor shifting about and the tap of boots on the ground, and he sat down beside her a moment later.

"… Why are you being so rough on yourself?" he asked after a minute. "I mean… you haven't done anything wrong… err, that I know of… and from what I saw, **they** were the ones who were giving **you** grief, not the other way around."

She shifted, her back facing towards him. "You… you just don't understand. If you knew things about me…"

"What's to know? You're a girl with lovely eyes who's been wronged severely and is in need of a home." He said calmly.

She remained silent. It seemed that either she didn't know what to say, or was just tired of talking. He hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to take a chance.

He put a hand on her left shoulder, causing her to gasp softly. She turned at looked at him with confusion.

"Look, I… I just wish I could do something to help you. And I know I can, if you'll give me a chance. So… I know we've barely even met, but… can you trust me?"

She looked at his hand, then back to his crimson eyes. She took his hand in hers, and smiled slightly.

"… Sure."

"Good! Then we should get going. I'm in need of some more hay for Frostbite."

Jinx gazed blankly at him. "… Frostbite…?"

Zero grinned lopsidedly and motioned towards the white horse they'd been riding on. "I normally keep a small bale of hay in the saddlebag, but… I'm fresh out, and unless I'm mistaken, the shop in Port Lune sells hay…. And besides, we need to find you some clothes… some that actually fit." He chuckled. It was true, the faded old gown she wore was far too big… and she was _still_ barefooted.

Jinx blushed heavily as she got back on the horse, Zero lashing the reins and urging the animal to motion.

Maybe… maybe things weren't going to be so bad anymore…

* * *

"I swear, if either of you boys break so much as one door-knob, you're out of my store!" Snapped a raspy voice. The owner was an elderly asian-looking man… from what was visible, anyway. He was wearing a hooded robe that covered most of his head, except for his snaggle-toothed mouth and bulbous nose. He wore strange red-and-black goggles over his eyes, too. 

"Relax, Chang. We're not here to mess with you." A voice, this one belonging to none other than the Boy Wonder, answered.

"Hmph. You two always come in here, but you never buy anything. Just looking around, scaring off all my other customers!"

"What customers…?" Robin muttered to himself.

"Ah, well… you know how it is, Chang… times are rough. But… I promise, very soon we'll be able to buy this entire store!" Smoke said from a corner.

"Heh… As if. There's not a person in this miserable little town that has that much. And I know for a fact, you two don't."

"Not yet. But we just landed ourselves a big job, see?" Smoke explained. "A well-paying one."

"Yeah… we're waiting on our, uh…" Robin searched for the correct word. "… Clients."

While Star and Black were finishing packing their belongings, Smoke and Robin had headed over to the other side of the road from the Inn, where a small general store was owned by a man named Chang. Although a bit eccentric, and definitely grumpy, he had one of the best selections of goods for miles around.

Smoke went back to admiring the particular piece of merchandise he was looking at.

Since about five years ago, when a foreigner had introduced gunpowder, they'd begun to manufacture firearms. However, they were horribly expensive… and for dirt-poor guys like Robin and Smoke, such sophisticated weaponry just wasn't an option.

Still, a guy could dream though. Smoke was looking wistfully at an old-fashioned blunderbuss gun in a glass case. It's silver barrel stretched forward for a good couple feet before flaring out into a wide bell, rather like a horn. It had a small, iron trigger that was shaped perfectly for gripping. The brown, wooden butt of the gun was attached firmly to a drum-shaped brass container.

This container was an addition that old Chang had made himself. Instead of having to painstakingly reload after every shot, one would simply pour the lead pellets into the big container and the gun would reload itself until the container was depleted.

Smoke was fascinated by this thing, and looked at it every time they came in here. But a quick glance at the price tag snapped him back to reality…

"… Five thousand gold coins…" Smoke groaned in anguish. "I could never afford that!"

"Then you'd best stop looking. You're only going to make yourself more miserable." The crotchety storeowner replied, irritated.

Suddenly, a bell jingled as the store entrance door swung open.

Curious, Robin looked up from the rack of metal battle-staves he was looking at… and gaped in awe.

The person who had just stepped in was dressed in head to toe with light-blue, crystalline armor with white adornments, and wore a silver sword scabbard at his side. He walked up to the desk where Chang sat and stared. He reached up and carefully removed his helmet… revealing long white hair and piercing crimson eyes.

"Ah, Excuse me, but… would you happen to have any hay, and/or women's clothing?" He asked genially, as though this was the sort've thing that happened every day.

After a moment of blinking confusedly behind those goggles, Chang realized he'd just been given the opportunity to sell something. He snapped out of this state fairly quickly.

"Of course, sir! Right this way and I'll show you our full selection…"

With that, Chang led the armored guy into a back storage room, leaving Robin and Smoke to stare blankly.

"Well… you don't see that everyday." Smoke whistled, his attention drawn away from the auto-blunderbuss for a moment.

"Either that was an extremely masculine woman…" Robin said slowly. "… Or he's looking for a present for his girlfriend." He looked quizzically at Smoke. "… Women's clothing…?"

"Beats me." Smoke said with a shrug, turning his eyes back to the gun in the case. "… I wonder if those girls are almost ready. It's taking them long enough."

"Maybe… but they can take their time. We're in no hurry." Robin shrugged, taking the opportunity to grab one of the metal staves and test it out while Chang was out of the room.

He twirled it about, making a few swings at the air. The particular one he was using was actually made of jet-black metal with silvery bands around it and a large steel spike on either end. Much better than the old oaken wood staff he was used to using.

Suddenly, there was another bell jingle as the door opened again, causing Robin to gasp and stick the staff back on the rack before he was accused of shoplifting. He whistled off-key and attempted to look completely natural… until Smoke hurried over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Robin… check this out!" He whispered, pointing to the doorway.

The door had opened, revealing the girl who had just walked in. Bright pink hair, with just a slight tint of rosy purple to it… grayish skin, pale and almost silvery in tone… and a pair of feline-looking eyes that were nearly the exact same shade as her hair.

Robin and Smoke stared, a little flummoxed. But she noticed, and sent them an icy glare, causing them to jump and go back to their business. She began walking over slowly, causing Robin to gulp.

"Excuse me…" She started softly to Robin, while Smoke watched on from the corner. "… Have you seen a guy with white hair come in here?" She asked.

With a dumb nod, he pointed silently to the back room where Chang and the armored figure had gone.

"Thanks."

She walked off in the back room with them, and once again left them in silence.

"This… just gets stranger and stranger." Smoke said.

"Yeah… did you see those eyes?" Robin said, the cat-like pupils of the girl's eyes fresh in his memory.

"Heh, yeah… and that hair! I didn't know the circus was in town." Smoke sniggered.

They kept looking for several minutes more, maybe a half an hour, still idly waiting until… a rattle at the door. Like… something scratching at the door. Something with… claws… and a snorting sound.

"Sheesh… I wish the villagers would keep their dogs in check." Smoke grumbled absent-mindedly.

**_BOOM_**. The door shook so hard that it rattled the shop.

"Uhh… Smoke… I don't think that's a dog…"

Robin's hunch was confirmed when a massive fist slammed itself through the doorway and ripped it off it's hinges. Robin stumbled back and gasped while Smoke yelped and ducked under a table.

In stepped a creature that was a bit like a pig, and a bit like a man. It was about seven feet in height with a body like a bare-chested man, but furry, hooved legs like a boar. It's head looked like a wild pig, right down to the stubby snout, pointed ears (which were pierced with numerous brass and golden earrings), and a pair of yellowed tusks from it's fat lips. Another trait was it's curled tail, like a pig, and a golden wrist-brace on each arm.

The thing snorted and blew a cloud of steam out of it's ugly nose. It eyed the cowering mercenaries with a pair of beady black eyes… and talked in a stuffy, rumbling voice.

"_You_… you are hiding the Princess Koriand'r… and Komand'r…" It glowered threatiningly, "… Give them to me!"

"Whoa! Easy there, big fella…" Smoke gulped. "You've got the wrong guys! We don't know any… uh…" he couldn't really remember the name. "Uh… K-korsalamander… or any Chloromander, either!"

It continued to stare peircingly. "If you will not surrender the Tamaraneans… then we will take them from you!"

With that, it let out a massive squeal, like an angry pig, the echoed shrilly around the store, and made Robin cover his ears.

A moment later, about a dozen more of these creatures lept through the store windows and began snorting wildly and scratching their hooves against the floor.

"What the Hell is going on in here?" Chang demanded, stepping back into the room. "Can't you idiots see I'm trying to—" He let out an extrememly feminine sort of scream and ducked behind the counter when he saw the monsters in his store.

"Prepare to die, Tamaranean harborers!" The things squealed in unison. Then, they leapt into attack.

Robin was rooted to the spot with fear as one of the huge monsters lunged through the air at him, sharp tusks bared menacingly… until there was a flash of blue light and a panicked squeal.

When Robin looked up, the pig man was frozen in midair, where it fell to the ground and shattered. When the stunned Boy Wonder looked toward the source of the icy blast, he saw the white-haired swordsman standing there.

"Don't just stand there, do something!" He hissed at the mercenaries, drawing his sword and leaping at the creatures.

"If you get these things out of the store, I'll give you boys anything you want!" Chang yelled, panicked. "They're ruining my merchandise!"

Smoke suddenly found himself a lot braver. "… Anything…?" he said slowly, lookin at Robin.

"Yes, for goodness sake, anything!"

Without another word, Smoke shattered the glass on the blunderbuss case, and Robin yanked the longest, thickest, spiked battle-staff he could find off the display rack.

Sub-Zero, meanwhile, stabbed into one's head, killing it, and did a roundhouse kick on another that sent it flying into a wall, where it sild off with a grumble. The beast got back up and snarled angrily, but before it had a chance to fight back, a bright pink blast of dark magic flew out of nowhere and hit the rug it was standing on… the hexed rug tripped the creature and cuased it to stumble forward a few feet and fall over onto a stand full of spears, impaling it and killing it instantly.

The stupified knight looked over to Jinx, who had emerged from the room wearing a black, short-skirted dress with red gloves and a pair of pink-and-white striped stockings with some blue high-heeled boots. She gave him a grin, and stuck out her tongue, before proceeding to blast some more of the monsters.

Smoke and Robin, meanwhile, were testing out their new equipment. Robin dashed between a monster's legs and struck him in the back with the pointed end of his staff, causing the monster to howl in pain and open it's tusked mouth wide open… right before a deafining boom came from the barrel of Smoke's blunderbuss, filling it's mouth full of hot lead ammo and killing it instantly.

Sub-Zero kicked dodged a clumsy punch from one of the pig men and retaliated by chopping it's arm off. Jinx hexed the severed arm, which quickly grabbed it's former owners leg and drug him down to the ground. Smoke stepped up and blasted it with his gun, slaying it.

Two more ran at Robin from either side, and attempted a double attack, but he reached into his belt and whipped out a boomerang. With a quick toss, he knocked one of the creatures down, and then ducked… the boomerang came sailing back over his head and hit the other creature, killing it with a powerful strike to the head.

Jinx leapt up and kicked one, making it stumble back onto Zero's sword. It struggled for a minute, but died quickly, at which point Zero slung his blade and sent the corpse of the monster sailing out a window.

Jinx didn't notice, but another came up behind her and grabbed her. She had time for a surprised scream before it raised up it's hand and prepared to bash her head open.

However, a whistling sound marked arrow-fire, and a moment later the beast's hand looked like a pincusion because it had so many arrows in it. It yelped loudly and stumbled back. More arrows zipped through the air, and a moment later, the porker fell flat onto it's stubby face with Smoke standing behind it, crossbow in the hand opposite his gun.

"… Th-thanks…" She managed to choke out.

"No problem!" He answered with a nod. He turned aroud and continued shooting.

By this time, most of the monsters were dead… Robin was just finishing off the last with a spinning staff blow to the head. The thing's head was knocked clean off it's shoulders, where it flew over and landed on a cart full of fruit, and sat there rather comically with an apple in it's mouth, making it look like an old-fashioned roast boar's head.

For a moment, all was silent.

"… I think… that's the last of them…" Robin said slowly.

Smoke kicked one of the bodies, and groaned in disgust. "Urgh!… What ARE they?"

"I think you mean… what WERE they?" Sub-Zero corrected.

"And why did they attack us?" Jinx added.

At that moment, everybody looked around and realized they didn't even know each other.

"So, uh… thanks for the help." Smoke said gruffly, offering a hand to Sub-Zero, who promply took it in a handshake.

"Of course. But… I don't believe I caught your names…?"

"Robin." The Boy Wonder answered in a businesslike tone.

"Name's Smoke." The marksman said.

"Right. I'm called Sub-Zero… and this…" He pointed to his friend. "… is Jinx."

"So… what brings a guy like you to a town like this?" Robin asked. "You don't look like the sort to hang around here…" He said, referring to his shining armor and sword.

"My horse was out of hay, and Jinx was in need of some good clothes." Then, he brightened up a little. "Oh, I forgot! Would you happen to have any rum?" he asked turning to Chang. The old storeowner reached into a crate and pulled out several large bottles, handing them to the knight.

"Thanks! How much?"

"No charge. Just please, get out of here before any more of those things show up…"

Sub-Zero grabbed the small bale of hay and the bottles of rum, and walked out with Jinx, Robin and Smoke walking behind them with their newly acquired weaponry.

Just as they were walking out, the door to the Inn across the street opened and the two girls they were escorting came out carrying a few small suitcases.

"I am sorry that we took so much time." Starfire apologized

"S'ok. It's a good thing you did; we got some new weapons out of it." Smoke said stroking his new blunderbuss while Robin brandished his staff.

"Yeah… a bunch of pig monsters attacked us. I know that sounds crazy, but I swear I'm not joking." Robin added.

Suddenly, Starfire's smile faded, and she went extremely pale. Black also looked very startled.

"… P-pig monsters…?" Blackfire asked softly, looking wildly alarmed.

"Yeah, but they had the wrong guys… they were looking for… er… Somebody with a name I can't pronounce." Smoke said with a shrug.

"I think they said… Koriand'r… and Komand'r… whoever those people are." Robin said slowly.

They both looked intensly alarmed now, pale and wide-eyed.

"Like I said, we killed them all, though." Smoke assured. "They won't be bothering us again."

Blackfire managed to fake a laugh. "Of course!" But she remained silent after that.

Robin turned to the knight that had helped them fight the pig creatures. He was placing the fresh hay in a saddlebag on a white horse, placing the rum in another satchel on the saddle and petting it's mane affectionately.

"Uh, excuse me… Do you know the quickest way to get to the capitol?" Robin asked slowly.

Zero looked slightly suspicious. "Yes… why do you ask?"

"We're being paid to escort someone there… do you think you could give us directions?" Smoke asked, walking up.

The knight looked strangely at them for a moment, but then broke into a grin. "I can do better than that. I can lead you."

"Lead us…?"

"It just so happens Jinx and I are on our way there as well. You can follow us, if you want."

Robin and Smoke glanced at each other and grinned… this job was getting easier by the minute.

"Sure… thanks a lot!" Robin said, with an appreciative handshake with Zero.

While they were talking, Star and Black had walked to a corner far away from the others and were whispering frantically to each other.

"I don't understand! How did they know where we went?" Blackfire demanded.

"I… I do not know. But we must not panic."

"Panic? I'm past panicking, I'm terrified! Do you know what they'll do to us if they catch us? We can't fight off an entire race of monsters by ourselves!"

"That is why we have escorts." Star said firmly. "Please… please calm yourself, Sister. We will get through this unharmed… I promise."

Blackfire took a deep breath to steady herself and nodded. They walked over to the others.

Jinx was just now coming back, too. Pleased with her new outfit, she was considerably more cheerful than earlier.

"Zero… when are we going to leave?" She asked.

"Immediately. And we've got some companions this time." He motioned to Robin, Smoke, Starfire, and Blackfire. "These folks will be following us to the capitol."

Jinx nodded and mounted the horse behind Sub-Zero. He yanked the reins and shouted for the horse to go; it immediately broke into a slow trot with the others following along behind them on foot.

… None of them had any idea of what they were going to go through on their way there.

**That's the end of that chapter; hope you liked it.  
**

_**Review and tell me what you think so far. The other characters will show up as the story progresses, and by the time it's over, everybody'll be present.**_

**_--Count Le Mad phantom…_**


	4. Chapter Three

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titans are not mine._

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Three**_

Brassmaul was a small mining town situated in the mountains. Most of its residents made a living working in the mines digging for gold, silver and jewels. As a result, the town was very prosperous despite its tiny size.

In contrast with the dilapidated huts of Port Lune, the neat little cottages and freshly paved roads in Brassmaul made for a very picturesque setting.

At the very edge of town, above the entrance to the mines, was a large elegant mansion. This belonged to the mayor of the town, a man in his mid forties. Rich and powerful, he lived in that mansion with his wife, although they had no children.

Things, generally speaking, changed little in this town. Until one unassuming day, a large posse consisting of a knight, a couple of mercenaries, a witch fugitive, and a couple of well-dressed sisters entered into town…

"This place is pretty nice…" Smoke whistled, impressed. "Hey Rob, when we finish this job… maybe we ought to look into getting a place here, huh?"

"I don't know…" his partner responded. "Isn't this place a little rich for our blood?"

"Maybe now. But when payday rolls around…"

"Oh, is it just the money you're interested in?" Robin asked with a chuckle. "I had the impression you had your sights set on something else…" he glanced toward Blackfire.

"Me? What about you and redhead over there?" Smoke asked, becoming a bit evasive.

"What about me and her?" Robin countered.

"Ah, c'mon, I saw you back there… you were talking to her the entire way here."

"We were just… having a conversation!" Robin stammered, flustered. "Is that against the law now? Besides, you were the one who was always sucking up to Blackfire! Opening doors for her… complimenting that hair ornament and her dress… offering to carry the luggage for her…"

"What? I was just trying to be hospitable…" the marksman retorted, going a bit red in the face. Eventually, they'd just decided to let Sub-Zero's horse carry the luggage.

As the pair huffed and turned away from each other, walking on behind Zero silently.

Meanwhile, behind them, Starfire and Blackfire stared bemusedly.

"Do you think they realize we were able to hear them?" Star asked slowly.

"No." Blackfire replied flatly.

"Should we say something to them, perhaps?"

"No."

A long silence ensued.

"Y'know…" Blackfire said softly. "I actually wouldn't mind getting to know that… Smoke a little better." Despite her best efforts to control it, a blush was beginning to spread across her face.

"We cannot." Star sighed sadly. "We must not let them discover who we really are, or from where we come."

"That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun, now does it? I know we're on a mission and all, but still…" Her eyes seemed to flash mischievously. "All work and no play makes Blackfire a cranky Tamaranean."

"Tamaran…" Star sighed. "I miss our country so much…"

(A/N: Since this is an AU fic set way back in medieval times, Tamaran is a country here, not a planet.)

"I know you do. But we can't go back there right now. The Bloodtusks would slaughter us… just li—"

Blackfire stopped mid-sentence. She'd started to say, 'Just like all the others'. But seeing her sister beginning to tear up, she went silent.

"I'm sorry, Starfire, I didn't mean to…"

"It is all right." Star said, wiping her eyes. "But… let us not talk of this any more right now."

Blackfire nodded, and they went back to following the others.

"Hey, Sub-Zero…" Robin yelled to the one on horseback. "What's the name of this place again?"

"Brassmaul." Zero answered. "We've been traveling the last several hours… so I figured we should stop and rest a bit." He said with a grin.

"I agree." Smoke said, rubbing his tired legs.

"Are we going to spend the night here?" Jinx asked.

"I don't see why not. We're in no hurry…" He looked over Jinx's shoulder at the others. "Unless of course, _you_ are?"

"Uh… Are we?" Smoke asked Robin.

"Depends." He turned to Star and Black. "Do you ladies want to keep going or stop here for the night?"

"We can stop here." Starfire said.

"Yeah, we're getting tired, too." Black added.

"Good! We should find the Inn in that case…" Zero said.

They continued down the main street of the town for several minutes… until they began to hear the sound of laughter and cheering. It seemed to be coming from around a corner. Curious, they turned and walked down the road towards the source of these sounds.

There, in the main square of the town, was a small, makeshift stage that seemed to be fashioned out of two-by-fours and some dusty old curtains. The crowd was gathered around, laughing and applauding at whatever was being presented.

"What is going on over there?" Star asked interestedly.

"Maybe the circus is in town or something…" Smoke said with a shrug.

"Hey Zero…" Jinx said softly. Then, her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Let's go watch!"

"Uh… Sure, why not?" He said, pleasantly surprised to see her cheerful now… especially after she'd been so morbid before.

They walked up and got there just in time to see the curtains open up again, revealing…

… A green elephant…?

Robin, Smoke, and Sub-Zero stared, Blackfire and Jinx gasped, and Star… immediately let out a squeal and cried. "How adorable!"

"It's… green…" Robin stammered.

"It's makeup or paint or something… has to be." Blackfire said, shaking her head.

The elephant swished it's tail and stood up on it's hind legs, trumpeting loudly through it's trunk. Then, with a massive boom that shook the rickety stage it lowered down onto all fours again. Then, with a strange melting sort've movement, it… changed.

A moment later, a green seal was there balancing a ball on it's nose and clapping it's fins together while making cute barking noises. Starfire squealed in delight again while the others stared in disbelief.

"This must be, like… smoke and mirrors or something…" Sub-Zero said, astonished.

"Or some kind of sorcery…" Jinx added.

This went on for a long time, with the green beast performing elaborate tricks each time it assumed a new form. As the time passed, even the others decided not to worry about how it was done and just enjoy it. They cheered and clapped every time it transformed.

After about an hour, the creature changed for one last time. But not into an animal… into a boy. A short, thin, boy with green skin and dark green hair, dressed in a black tunic and black pants with purple gloves and boots.

He bowed and smiled as the audience showered him with coins and flowers, still applauding the performance.

"Thank you, thank you!" He yelled, scooping up handfuls of coins and pocketing them. And then, with one last bow, he morphed into a green owl and flapped off.

_**Later, At The Inn…**_

"Who was that guy?" Sub-Zero wondered aloud. He was looking out the window in his second-story room. Jinx, who was sharing the room with him shrugged.

"There were a bunch of posters around town, saying: '_The One-Boy Animal Act! The Beast Boy!_' That seems to be what everybody calls him: Beast Boy. People were talking downstairs earlier."

Their conversation was cut short as a sudden rumbling noise filled the room… not just the room, but also the building. It seemed to come from below, and it grew rapidly louder, like thunder under the ground. Within moments, the building was shaking violently.

People in the streets outside screamed. So did everyone inside the Inn. Jinx actually lost her balance and fell over and Sub-Zero was clinging to a bed-post for support.

"Jinx, are you okay?" He yelled over the sound of the tremor.

"I'm all right!" She yelled back. "But what's going on?"

Abruptly the door opened and Robin stumbled in. "Guys! It's an earthquake!"

Smoke entered in. "Yeah! We have to get downstairs before this place collapses out from under us!"

They ran as quickly as they could down the shaking stairs and out of the building. They and the rest of the crowd waited outside for almost an hour, and gradually, the quake began to wear off. After a few more minutes, it was gone totally, and the building… thank goodness… remained intact.

Too shaken for words, they entered the Inn again and managed to get some sleep.

_**The Next Morning…**_

"Smoke… Smoke… Wake up, Smoke…"

The marksman pulled the sheets off of himself, and groaned at the morning light streaming through a window. "What is it?"

"Hmph. Good morning to you, too!" Robin snorted. "But look at this…"

Robin reached into his coat and pulled out a small, thin envelope. Sealing it closed was an ornate seal that resembled two crossed pickaxes behind the letter 'M'.

Robin opened it up and read the letter to himself before handing it to Smoke, who mumbled it out loud.

'_Dear Sirs, Robin the Boy Wonder and Smoke the Marksman…_

_It has come to our understanding that you are in our town on business, escorting a couple of clients to the capitol. We would like to ask a favor of you._

_If your clients do not mind a slight delay, we may have some additional work for you while you're here. You no doubt noticed the violent earthquake that shook our fair town to its roots just yesterday. We have reason to believe that the cause of these quakes is not natural… and it may be in our mines._

_We would like someone armed, fearless, and capable to investigate the source of the quakes we've had of late… they cannot be allowed to continue._

_Sincerely, gentlemen…_

_Mr. Arthur Markov and Mrs. Elizabeth Markov, Mayor and Wife of Brassmaul.'_

_**I think I'll leave it at that. I realize that this is a bit shorter than most of my chapters, and I apologize at the delay at uploading it… I hope you like it all the same.**_

_**Please read and review.**_

_**--Count Le Madphantom…**_


	5. Chapter Four

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans._

**_Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Four_**

"I still don't get it. How could an earthquake not be natural?" Smoke asked, scratching the side of his head and feeling thoroughly perplexed. "I mean… what the Hell else can cause an earthquake?"

"I don't know." Robin replied with a rather nonchalant shrug. "But whatever's causing them, they said it was in their mines and that they it out... and they'll pay."

Robin looked over his shoulder at Sub-Zero, Jinx, Starfire, and Blackfire. They'd all agreed that to stay in Brassmaul a bit longer and allow Robin and Smoke to tackle this job. As a matter of fact, they'd even agreed to help. "Are you sure you guys don't mind doing this?"

"Well, of course! I mean… if there's anything we can do to stop these quakes, we've got to." Zero said immediately. "I **am** a knight after all. I protect people for a living… although…" He paused, looking hesitant. "I've never had to protect someone from a force of nature before…"

The small group was currently on their way to the Markov mansion, located on a large Cliffside on the mountain, right above the entrance to the mines. Brassmaul, despite its incredible wealth, was a very small town, so it didn't take them long to get there.

They looked up at the yellow-and-green façade of the massive estate, looming up over the dark corridors on the mountainside that lead down to the mines. A long, grand, spiral staircase made of solid gold stretched down from the mansion's porch and went down to the ground, providing a route up the front door.

Sub-Zero tied his horse up at the base of the stairway, and grabbed a bottle of rum out of the saddlebag. Popping the cork off with a flourish, he took a sizeable gulp and started to follow the others whom were already on their way up to Markov Manor.

"Grr… I hate stairs…" Zero grumbled, grunting with effort as he trudged up them. His ornate armor, clanking with each step, seemed to be weighing him down.

Robin looked down and stifled a laugh, kind of amused by Sub-Zero's difficulty. "You know, you could take off the armor. It'd make things a lot easier on you."

"I never take off this armor." Zero retorted in a slightly haughty tone. "It's against protocol. Any and all soldiers of the king, whether they be a knight, a cavalier, a musketman, whatever… must stay in uniform at all times."

Robin and Smoke glanced at each other and rolled their eyes, though they were careful not to let Zero see. This movement caused Star and Black to laugh softly under their breath, and even got a light giggle from Jinx.

After much treading up the stairs, they finally reached the mansion. It was truly massive… one wouldn't get a full appreciation of its size just by looking up at it from the ground; they'd have to climb up and see it up close.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Robin reached for the large golden knocker on the polished, wooden door… but before he could even knock, the huge double-doors swung open to reveal an elderly butler.

He eyed them for a moment, saying nothing. His severe expression, combined with his drab clothes and withered face, was a little bit alarming.

"Uh… (_Ahem_)… We, uh… Got a letter? From the mayor and his wife…?" Robin stuttered, a little intimidated by the severe looking, white-headed old man.

The old valet remained silent, but bowed and ushered them in. They stepped inside and gasped. Within a time space of about thirty seconds, Robin's and Smoke's jaws had dropped, Sub-Zero choked on the bottle of rum he was drinking, Star's and Black's eyes had widened to nearly the size of wheels, and Jinx looked as though someone had just slapped her: stunned, confused, and dazed.

The inside walls of the mansion were covered in a thin, wallpaper-like sheet of gold-leaf (a layer of gold that is very thin, like a sheet of paper.) They were all made in such a way that the sunlight streaming in through the windows and roof skylights would reflect off the gold-gilded walls and light up the entire place without need for torches or other light sources.

The windows and skylights themselves were made of stained-glass of all colors… reds, blues, greens, yellows, purples, browns, oranges, whites, blacks… the way the light came in through them and reflected from the gold walls made the place glow with a multi-colored aura, strange but beautiful.

The floors were carved out of highly polished wood; one could even see their reflection gleaming up from its glossy surface. On top of this, the floor was covered every few feet by rugs made from various animal skins: bears, wolves, and cougars, among others.

The ceiling was painted, like a huge mural… in addition to the stained-glass skylights, the ceiling was painted to look like a night sky: a deep bluish-purple background. But instead of painting on stars, the "stars" were actually flecks of gold set into the ceiling. The "moon" was a large, spherical diamond, glittering and shining dimly.

The ragtag group of travelers was awestruck. This place was, obviously, ten times what Robin and Smoke were used to… Sub-Zero was deeply impressed, although this place still wasn't equal to the castle… Jinx had never seen wealth like this in her life… and though Starfire and Blackfire were both used to lavish surroundings (they WERE, after all, fugitive royals even though the others didn't realize it) they were still stunned by the utter lavishness of this huge place.

"Incredible…" Robin said, almost breaking his back as he bent backwards to look at the ceiling.

His partner, Smoke, wasn't quite as eloquent with his amazement. He just stood there, thunderstruck with a slack-jawed, gaping mouth… and if he didn't close it soon, he was going to start drooling. He nodded dumbly in agreement.

"Hey… this place is nice." Blackfire said, letting off an impressed whistle.

"Yes… so this is the Markovs' mansion." Starfire added with a nod. "They must be very wealthy."

Blackfire sighed and rolled her eyes. "What was your first clue?"

The others didn't notice, but Star's eyes flashed with green energy for a moment… until she remembered that the others didn't know about her and her sister's powers, at which point she forced herself to calm down.

"It seems like the butler was expecting us…" Zero mumbled.

In response, the old butler just nodded. He took up a silver, flaming candelabra from a table and held it up. He motioned with his hand for them to follow and started walking down a long corridor. They followed him closely behind.

Zero noticed that Jinx was very quiet. "… Jinx?"

Her feline eyes, having been fixed on a painting on the wall, darted to him. "Huh?"

"Are you… okay? You're very quiet, all the sudden…" the knight's red eyes softened in concern.

"I'm okay." She said softly, lifting her slender shoulders in a shrug. "It's just… this place. It's amazing… what I wouldn't give to live here…"

Sensing an opportunity, Zero came up to Jinx and smiled. "Y'know… this place is flashy and all, but… it's nothing compared to the castle…"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah! It's got all kinds of things: the gardens, the clock tower, the library, the—"

Jinx cut him off suddenly. "Wait… you… er, I mean… They have a library?"

Sub-Zero smiled, glad to see he'd piqued her interest. "Mm-hm. With more books than anyone could ever read in their lifetime! By every single author who ever put a pen to paper! And every single one arranged in shelves in alphabetical order by title."

Jinx's eyes seemed to spark excitedly for a second. "Are you serious…?"

"I'm very serious." He replied softly, taking advantage of the situation. Any chance he got to make her want to come live at the castle, was not a chance he was gonna pass up. "… I take it you like books…?"

"I love books!" Jinx said brightly, running a hand through her hair as she walked. "I've always loved reading…" Suddenly, her face seemed to lose a bit of its color and her smile vanished. "They let me just…" Her voice trailed off.

Zero frowned sadly. "Let you… what?"

She sighed heavily and made a face that was partly a scowl and partly a sad pout. "They could just let me forget who I was, where I was… at least, for a while. I was never depressed when I read because I was always too focused on the book."

"Well… you won't have to worry about that any more. It's like I said: The King's a good man; he's like a grandfather to me. I'm absolutely positive he'll let you come live at the castle… and you'll be able to read as many books as you want."

Jinx smiled at him but remained silent. For a moment though, he thought he saw a very slight blush creep across her pale features. This, in turn, caused Zero's pallid cheeks to flush, and he looked away in order to hide the lopsided grin that had spread across his face.

They turned another corner and walked through a long corridor with a long, broad, red-velvet carpet on the floor. The carpet stretched the length of the hallway with puffy golden tassels on the end, and elaborate silvery designs woven into its red surface.

The hallway was lined on both sides by suits of armor, lined up on either side into dual rows. Each one was different; no two were the same. Knight armor, samurai armor, gladiator armor, and Roman legionnaire armor… these were just a few. They just stood stationary, almost like soldiers standing guard over the dimmed corridor. They were rather eerie-looking, actually.

Starfire looked around and shivered. "All this armor… it is a bit unnerving."

She looked away and stepped back, but wound up face-to-face with a massive suit of black-and-brown barbarian-style armor with a gleaming battleaxe, spiked shield, and a horned Viking helmet. She gasped and stumbled back, badly startled.

Robin put a hand on her shoulder and smiled genially. "Relax. Whoever or whatever wore that armor is long gone."

She looked over and sighed. "I am sorry. It's just that…" Her emerald eyes cut all around the hallway, focusing on her sister, Blackfire, for a moment before settling nervously on Robin. "Friend Robin… there is something I… I need to tell you. And you may tell Smoke."

He looked a little uneasy. "Huh? What is it?"

She took a deep breath, as if to calm herself. "My sister didn't want me to tell you, and I suppose I am really not supposed to tell you, but… the reason we need escorts is because we are being pursued."

This alarmed Robin somewhat. "Pursued? By who?"

"The Bloodtusks." She said this word in a barely audible whisper, as if she was afraid she'd be overheard.

Robin stared blankly and blinked a couple times.

"… Do you recall those monsters? Those pig-men that attacked Mr. Chang's shop in Port Lune?"

He nodded slowly in response. "Yeeeeaaah… what about 'em?"

"Those creatures… are part of a race of swine monsters. They wish us dead, and they would do anything to make sure we do not get to the castle."

Genuinely concerned, Robin cocked an eyebrow and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "… Dead? You? But why…?"

Once again, Starfire looked somewhat reluctant to speak, glancing to her sister. Blackfire, however, wasn't paying attention to Robin and Star; she seemed to be sidling up to Smoke who was still staring open-mouthed at his glamorous surroundings. For a moment, Starfire actually smiled.

"I believe my sister is a bit smitten by friend Smoke." She said with a light laugh. Apparently, she was seeking to change the subject…

Robin chuckled. "Well… Smoke does have a bit of a ladies-man complex. But don't get me wrong though!" He added quickly. "Smoke's a good guy; he's a great guy, as a matter of fact. He's been my best friend as long as either of us remember and… well, I'd trust him with my life."

Star's smile brightened, and her green eyes shone so radiantly that they seemed to completely outdo the lavish mansion they were in. "That is good. Everyone needs someone whom they can confide in."

Robin glanced around and sighed sadly. "Then confide in me. You never told me why these… these creatures want to kill you and your sister."

"… Have you ever heard of Tamaran…?" Starfire asked softly.

"I've heard of it…" Robin answered at once, nodding vaguely. "It's a country to the far west, isn't it?"

"Yes. My sister and I… we are… Tamaraneans. The Bloodtusks attacked many months ago… so many were killed. We just… we could not do a thing. We were helpless to defend ourselves against them."

"Wait… I heard something once… a rumor." Robin began. "Tamaraneans… can't they… like…" He sighed. "I know this is stupid, but… can you **REALLY** fly?"

Robin expected her to stare blankly for a moment, then she'd laugh in his face for being so gullible and ignorant. He expected her to dismiss this as an old-wives'-tale and insist that she and her people were capable of no such thing.

… But she didn't.

She smiled for a moment, blushed, and looked at the others. They were the last of the group, the others had followed the butler on ahead deeper into Markov Manor. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Star closed her eyes… and, with a whoosh of air, floated into the air.

She flew at high speed around the ceiling, making sharp curves and smooth dives. 'She looks… like an angel…' The Boy Wonder marveled mentally, dumbstruck. As Robin's masked visage gaped in awe, she did a few mid-air loop-de-loops and landed on the other side of the room with a bow.

"That… that was…" Robin gulped, swallowing the lump in his throat. "… Oh my God, that was incredible! Tamaraneans CAN fly!" He yelped, surprised. "… What else can you do?" He asked eagerly.

Star, beginning to blush slightly at such attention and praise, lifted up a palm and stared hard in concentration. Nothing happened at first… until, with a sudden spark of emerald energy, a glowing, green, sphere of power flashed to life in her hand. Her eyes began to blaze like small, lime-green torches.

With slight grunt of effort, she hurled the ball of Tamaranean power towards a wall at high velocity. But before it hit the wall, Starfire made a motion with her hands and it detonated in midair, not actually harming anything.

This really stunned Robin. Everything he'd ever been told about Tamaraneans in rumors and stories… it was all true.

He shook his head and smiled. "Well… don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. I'll tell Smoke, but we won't tell Blackfire you said all this."

"Thank you…" She murmured, glancing at the glimmering floor.

There was a pause.

"… Come on. We'd better catch up with the others."

Starfire floated off after him; they set off down the hallway after the others… and the entire time, Starfire's hand remained firmly on Robin's shoulder.

Blackfire, meanwhile, was flirting with Smoke.

"So… how'd a guy like you end up with a job like this…?" She purred silkily, eying him rather suggestively.

He gulped, his face growing progressively hotter. "Er, well… the letter, remember? The Mayor sen—"

"No, no. I mean, how'd you wind up being a mercenary?" She clarified, rolling her eyes. "Surely someone as… _talented_…" She said this word slow and sultry. "… As yourself could've gotten a higher-paying job somewhere?"

He blinked. "You really think so? Like what?"

"You're good with a bow, right? You could be a hunter. I hear that a lot of shopkeeps are willing to pay good money for clean animal pelts…"

He blushed. "Well… I do hunt. But only as a pastime or sometimes as a way to eat. When Me and Robin can't afford to buy any food, we have to hunt it down and cook it ourselves."

Blackfire frowned, eyes widening just slightly. After growing up accustomed to servants waiting on her hand-and-foot… the concept of 'not having enough money to eat' seemed… bizarre, to her.

"I… I'm sorry to hear that." She said slowly.

"It's Ok. We can fend for ourselves alright." He said with a small smirk. "Besides, you know what they say: 'Money can't buy happiness.'"

She nodded, and kept on following the others. As they walked, she slowly but gradually curved her direction, steadily coming closer to Smoke without his noticing until a couple minutes later, she was right up beside him, their arms touching. Surprised, he looked over at her.

She smiled in a rather Cheshire-Cat-like way, and cocked an eyebrow. He went extremely red and turned away, pretending not to notice and covering his face as he let out a fake cough. They kept this up the rest of the way through the huge house.

Finally, after all this long walking, the butler stopped and motioned towards a massive pair of double doors, forged out of silver with large golden knockers and encrusted with various jewels and decorations. He motioned for them to wait here, and stepped inside the huge doors, letting them slide shut again after entering.

A few minutes passed in uneasy silence…

Then, the doors suddenly drifted open again, completely unbidden and almost of their own will. Cautiously, the group of travelers stepped through.

They found themselves in an elegant parlor, well lit by windows and torches and covered with lots of expensive looking furniture.

At the far end was a large desk… at which sat a tall, lanky, old man with wrinkled skin, a ruddy face, golden-blonde hair and striking blue eyes. He was well dressed in formal business clothes and decked out with a single, polished monocle over his left eye and a golden pocket watch. When he saw them come in, he stood up and strode down a flight of steps towards them.

"Ah, Welcome! I've been expecting you!" He boomed in a strong voice that belied his rather frail appearance.

Going down the stairs at a surprising speed, he stopped in front of them and extended a dark-complected hand in a handshake gesture. Robin stepped forward and shook hands with him… his eyes, hidden behind his black-and-white mask widened a bit with surprise; this man's grip was very strong…

"So… you must be Robin, eh?" The man continued genially, releasing his hand from the stony grip.

"Uh, Yes sir. I'm Robin, and this is Smoke…"

"Oh, uh… yeah…How ya doin'…?" Smoke yawned, preoccupied by the large stack of coins and gold bars on the man's desk.

Sub-Zero stepped forward and cleared his throat, bowing rather officiously. "I'm Sub-Zero… at least, that's what everybody calls me, sir. This…" He motioned to Jinx, who was stepping up beside him, high-heeled boots clicking on the wooden floor's surface. "… Is my friend, Jinx." The witch nodded, but remained silent.

Starfire cleared her throat. "Yes… I am Koria—" Blackfire suddenly elbowed her. "Ow! Um, I mean… Starfire. My name is Starfire."

"Blackfire." The said sister said flatly with an unconcerned shrug.

"Very good to meet you all!" The man said, still very loudly and with an authoritive tone. "I'm the mayor here and Brassmaul… Arthur Markov. Please, make yourselves comfortable. My home is your home." He clapped his hands, and almost instantly the old butler stumped in, bowing so low that Starfire secretly feared the old man was going to break his back…

"Winchester, get these good people some drinks, won't you?" He looked over to them. "So, what'll it be? Tea? Water? Some wine, perhaps?"

Robin spoke up quickly. "Oh, that's all right, really we..."

"Nonsense! You're my guests here. It's the least I can do."

Robin hesitated. "Well… In that case… some ice water would be nice…"

"I guess I'll have some tea." Jinx informed him.

Sub-Zero looked at the rum bottle in his pocket, long emptied; he'd finished it off soon after entering the building. "Ah… some more rum would be nice, if it's all the same to you, sir."

"Hmm… I guess I'll have some apple cider, if you've got any…" Smoke said with a shrug.

"Oh! I would like some milk please!" Starfire requested.

"A glass of wine for me." Blackfire added, licking her lips.

The butler, Winchester, jotted all this down on a small slip of paper, bowed yet again, and stepped off through the door; it closed promptly behind him with a loud thump.

"Allow me to introduce you to my wife whilst we wait." He said without missing a beat. He snapped his fingers, producing a sharp, sudden noise that caused Jinx to cringe slightly at its volume.

"Oh, Elizabeth? Come out here for a moment."

There was a long, ringing silence. Then, suddenly, a large doorway that had been concealed by large silken curtains of many colors opened of from the side of the chamber, at the top of the stairs. And then, a woman stepped slowly and gracefully out.

She was wearing an elegant looking ballroom-style dress and with a large white flower in her hair. She seemed to be fairly old, like her husband. Also like her husband, she had pale blonde hair and bluish eyes but… whereas he was heavily tanned and ruddy, she was pale-faced and of fair skin… almost as pale as Zero, which was really saying something.

"… You called for me…?" Her voice was very soft and high-pitched, melodic and dainty in its intonation.

"Yes, my dear. It seems that those mercenaries in town received our letter. They've come to take us up on our offer."

Her blue eyes, strangely hollow and misty looking, swept fluidly over the small group. "… Aren't you folks… young… to be mercenaries…?"

"Well, I'm seventeen!" Smoke spoke up sounding slightly affronted.

"And I'm sixteen." Robin added.

"Sixteen." Star and Black said simultaneously. Then, after a long and awkward pause, Blackfire added rather sullenly. "… But I'm a couple months older."

"Uh, Sixteen." Jinx said.

"Sixteen also, but soon to be seventeen." Zero said politely, trying not to look to pleased.

The wife looked unblinkingly at them for a moment, saying and doing nothing at all. Then, she smiled and sat down in a chair next to the mayor.

"Yes, well… at any rate, let me introduce my lovely wife, Elizabeth." The man said.

Then, the butler reentered abruptly carrying a massive, sterling silver tray studded with red rubies and brass chains. On it sat several large and ornate goblets, heavily decorated and filled to the brim with various fresh beverages… just like they'd ordered.

For the next several minutes, Arthur Markov discussed with them the terms and payment of the work he offered. He gave no specifics as to what might be causing these bizarre quakes, but just insisted that they believed the tremors came from deep within their mines; they weren't of natural causes.

Finally, satisfied with the explanation, Robin led the others out of the mansion towards the entrance to the mines.

On their way out, Blackfire came up to Smoke suddenly. "Smoke…"

"… Huh?"

"… Do you… I don't know… _trust_… that guy?"

"Well, I… I guess. Why?"

"There's just… there's something about him. And there's one thing I don't understand…"

"What's that?"

"Come here; I'll show you."

Breaking away from the group for a moment, Blackfire grabbed Smoke's hand and drug him down a nearby hallway into a small room of paintings. One of these happened to be a life-size portrait of the Markovs. But something was… strange…

"Wait… is that… a baby…?" Smoke whispered slowly.

Indeed it was. In the big painting, Mrs. Markov (Many years younger) was holding a small bundle in her arms that looked remarkably like a baby…

"I noticed that when we came in. That guy never said anything about having a kid. And I just have the feeling that there's something they're not telling us…"

"Maybe so… but hey, they'll pay; so does it really matter…?"

For a moment, something faintly like irritation mixed with surprise appeared on Blackfire's face. Then, she turned around with her back facing to him. "Smoke… is money all you really care about…?"

He was caught badly off guard by his question. "Uh… Well… I mean… No, of course not. But… y'know… it DOES help." He finished with a sheepish grin.

She looked back at him for a moment over her shoulder. Then, wordlessly, she turned and walked off.

'Great going, Romeo…' Smoke snarled sarcastically to himself in his mind. Then, another thought, this one more sad and confused, occurred to him. '… Was it something I said…?'

He hurried off after her.

The painting, forgotten by the pair, was still there. And there was another thing the two had never noticed. A door was in the far corner of the room, but hidden by the shadows cast by a large column. It was marked, "**Easy-Access Mine Entrance: Miners Only… General Public please use main entrance outside.**" in neat black paint.

There in the shadows, someone else was looking at the painting. A silhouette, thin as a scarecrow and completely still like one too, was peering out from behind the large column with a pair of large eyes… large blue eyes.

For a moment, something glistened near the eyes. Below them, to be exact… a small trail of glimmering white.

…A single teardrop…

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone through that door; it closed silently and left the room empty and quiet.

_**Well, I'm sorry I haven't updated this fic in so long; things in my life have been fairly hectic lately. I'll try to update my other fic, Gunsmoke And Black Roses, too… but it may be a couple days. But I'm not dead or anything; I'm working on them still.**_

_**Anyway, read and review.**_

_**--Count Le Madphantom…**_


	6. Chapter Five

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans._

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Five**_

"Damn, this stinks…" Smoke muttered as she stepped into the dark mines beneath the Markov Manor. "Smells like… mud. And… dirt. And… stuff…" He mumbled crossly.

"No…" Robin corrected with a wry grin. "Smells like money. The sooner we stop these quakes, the sooner we get paid. And the sooner we get paid, the sooner we can escort Star and Blackfire. And the sooner we do that, the sooner we get paid again and become rich men."

"Hmmm…" Smoke chuckled and patted his blunderbuss. "Heheh. I didn't think of it that way. I like the way you think, Pal."

"Don't get too carried away, Gentlemen…" Zero added, coming up behind them with Jinx. "All the money in the world won't do you any good if you get yourselves killed down here."

Robin shrugged. "What could possibly be so dangerous down in this mine? People work down here everyday."

"Oh, I don't know… I'm just saying it would be in our best interest to keep our minds on the task at hand." Zero explained.

"Yeah, yeah…" Smoke yawned dismissively, going on ahead with Robin. Zero sighed and followed after them with a giggling Jinx next to him.

"He doesn't strike me as the type who takes advice easily." She said, glancing at Smoke. Zero chuckled and smiled.

Starfire and Blackfire brought up the rear, coming in behind everyone else. Star glanced warily around and moved to catch up with Robin, her heels tapping on the stone ground. Black just rolled her eyes and gazed disdainfully at the earthen surroundings.

The mines were totally made of stone, with only occasional wooden beams and iron torch-holders to indicate any trace of civilization. The torches on the walls were unlit, as the miners were not working today, making the place pitch-black almost. Rails wound along the paths to serve as minecart-routes, to transport jewels and gold and such from the mines to the manor.

Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere, making the cave seem almost like a giant mouth with teeth everywhere; this only made the subterranean surroundings all the creepier. The lack of workers made it silent, dead silent, save for the hesitant footfalls of our unlikely group and the rhythmic, steady, 'drip, drip, drip' of cold, underground water droplets dripping from stalactites into large, muddy pools on the ground.

"What a dump." Blackfire snorted. "I don't see how anyone could stand to work down here…" With that, she walked up to Smoke and followed along beside him.

Starfire's emerald eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the darkness. She blinked and sighed. "Robin… how far down are we venturing?" She asked hesitantly.

"As far as we need to." He answered. "I'm not really sure what we're looking for, but I have a feeling we'll know it when we see it."

"Why do you think that?" She asked curiously.

Robin shifted uncomfortably as he walked and shook his head. "Just… call it a hunch."

"Y'know, looking back, it probably would've been smart to take a lantern…" Zero lamented, nearly kicking himself. He strained to see as the darkness became more and more stifling.

"Well, it's too late now." Blackfire chided him, her grayish eyes piercing. "So don't whine about it."

"I wasn't whining!" Zero protested. "I just wish I would have thought of it before…"

"Break it up, you two." Robin sighed. "And stick close; the LAST thing we need is to get separated down here…"

* * *

"Oh, this is just great… juuuust teriffic! Way to go, B.B…" A small green teenager in a purple and black tunic with a green cape, gloves, and boots muttered to himself. "I'm gonna have to file a complaint with the Mayor about this… take a wrong step, and the stinkin' ground falls out from under ya…"

Indeed, Beast Boy (For that was whom it was) had been on his way out of town when part of the ground had caved in under him, causing him to tumble down into the mines; he'd been trapped down here ever since.

This place was really starting to give him the creeps… not only was it dark and quiet and smelly, but…

… Two or three times already he could have sworn that he'd… seen things. Something would seem to move ever so slightly in the shadows or dash into a tunnel…

"Just my imagination, just my imagination…" He whispered repeatedly to himself, though he was shaking nonetheless. He continued in vain, attempting to reassure himself. "Even if it's not… then it's still probably just rats. Yeah, that's it… rats…"

A shuffling sound echoed behind him, like small feet pattering in the dirt floor…

Instinctively, he whipped around wide-eyed, his heart pounding; he called out into the darkness: "… H-hello…?"

A thousand hellos seemed to bounce back at him, soft and distorted as they echoed around the dim mines. But for all the hellos, there was no actual response whatsoever.

With a barely-audible gulp, he turned back around and continued his search for a way out, his pace quickened somewhat.

He continued on, wandering down a few winding paths that seemed to lead nowhere. Occasionally, he would come to a fork in the path, but this made little difference: both paths would always look exactly identical to him; he would simply curse silently to himself and keep going, meandering down an underground road to nowhere…

He sighed heavily, rubbing his tired legs, and sat down on a rusty barrel. He groaned loudly and put his head in his hands, trying to soothe a throbbing headache that was coming on him fast. He was so tired…

Yawning, Beast Boy leaned back against the wall behind him and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. He stayed like this only for a couple minutes… then, he was soon snoring softly, in a very deep sleep. Exhaustion had taken its toll.

As he slumbered, he didn't notice something creeping towards him in the shadows…

Barely visible through the shadows and craggy crevices in the walls, with which it blended in, a scarecrow-like figure slowly made its way towards Beast Boy, making nary a sound. It crept along, stealthily, and stopped periodically for a moment before advancing again. Beast Boy didn't stir…

As the silhouette came out of the shadows, it became plain…

It was a girl. Long, unkempt, blonde hair spilled down her slender back and her pale skin glinted from the flicker of a nearby torch that happened to be lit. She wore little more than tattered rags of a leathery brown material, and she was barefooted. Her blue eyes, very large and prominent, stared curiously at the green teenager. She crawled forward on all fours, until she was barely a few feet from him, and then she got up on two legs.

She stood there for a moment, simply staring at the boy as though in amazement. Then, she looked around like she was trying to make sure no-one was watching (even though the mines were empty), and she moved a little closer to him.

She sat down in front of him, curling her legs to her chest and putting her arms around them, and watched him sleep. For some reason, the sight of this boy seemed to enamor her, and she couldn't seem to help but watch him. She sighed wistfully and smiled when Beast Boy yawned a bit in his sleep and shifted towards the side.

This went on for no less than an entire hour… with this strange girl watching him in his sleep, as if hypnotized by him.

Finally, she got up and walked over to him. Slowly, hesitantly, she started to lean down over to him… and then, drew back like she was surprised at her own boldness. Her face flushed red slightly. But then, she started to lean at him again and made as if to kiss him on the cheek…

… At that moment, voices began echoing down the passageway…

For a split second, she stared. Then, without so much as a sound, she bolted and was gone.

* * *

Robin suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, and everyone else followed suite behind him, staring.

Starfire blinked curiously, her emerald eyes shining in the darkness. "… Robin…? What is the matter…?"

"Shh!" He hushed her and put a hand to his ear, motioning for them to listen.

Faint snoring was coming from up ahead…

"What the…?" Smoke blinked. "Is somebody up there?"

"The mines are supposed to be empty." Jinx pointed out sharply, her feline eyes shimmering. "So nobody's supposed to be in here…"

They crept on cautiously, and eventually came to a 4-way split in the path, with rusty barrels and crates and minecart tracks. It had the air of a place no-one had set foot in for a long time…

Yet, there was a boy. The same green boy that had done a shapeshifting act in town. He was sitting there on a barrel, sound-asleep, and apparently unaware of their presence.

They stared for a moment. Then, Blackfire spoke up…

"Should we wake him?" She asked.

Slowly, Smoke walked over to him… and peered at him curiously for a moment. Then, he took his finger and lightly prodded the sleeper in the forehead. Beast Boy grumbled in his sleep, but did not wake up…

Smoke tapped a bit harder… and finally, the boy began to stir. His greenish eyes fluttered slowly opened and he yawned… and then, he yelped aloud and fell off the barrel, scared out of his wits.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" Smoke yelled. "I was just trying to wake you up."

Beast Boy stared at the people around him for a moment… then sighed and wiped his forehead. Getting to his feet, he yawned again and hastily apologized.

"Sorry about that… it's just that… you startled me a bit."

"Hey… what are you doing down here?" Robin asked suspiciously.

"Are you not the one who does animal tricks?" Star asked, delighted.

"Who are you?" Zero asked.

Beast Boy shook his head and covered his ears. "Hey! One question at a time!" They went silent. "… Thank you." He took a deep breath, and started to explain.

"… I fell down here through a weak spot in the ground as I was leaving town. I've been lost down here ever since. My name's Garfield, but… I prefer to go by the name Beast Boy, or B.B. for short. And yes, I can turn into animals. Please don't ask how I do it… I'm really not sure. But I've always been able to."

"So… you're lost?" Blackfire asked.

He nodded. "You guys wouldn't happen to know how to get out of here… would you?"

"Well…" Zero pulled a piece of parchment from his belt. "I have the map of the mines right here… so yeah, we can get you out. But we've got business here first."

"That's right!" Smoke said with a grin. "The mayor is payin' us big money for finding whatever's causing these quakes and putting a stop to them."

"And we can't leave until we've done that." Robin concluded.

"Really? So you're like… on a mission?" Beast Boy asked excitedly.

"Well…" Robin hesitated a little bit. "… Yeah. Yeah, you could say that…"

"COOL! Can I come with you?" Beast Boy said suddenly. "I need your help to get out, and besides: I can help!"

Robin stared for a moment… before smiling slightly. "… Sure… we could use all the help we can get."

As they walked off while making introductions, none of them noticed the feminine shadow, shaking as though with fear, bolting down the opposite direction they were going…

_**Okay, I know that this is a very short chapter… and that I haven't updated this in FOREVER, but I've been very busy and working on my other fics. So please forgive me.**_

_**Oh, and Metal Overlord, if you're reading this: Zeruge is definitely going to be in my other fic, just maybe not for a little while. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak.**_

**_--Count Le Madphantom…_**


	7. Chapter Six

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titans aren't mine._

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Six**_

"Ah, yes… thank you both for coming." The mayor said with a smile. "You are quite highly recommended in what you do… I hope that your services will prove satisfactory.

There in front of his desk in the manor stood two young men, both seemingly in their teens. One was completely garbed in black leather all around himself, even the head. The black hood that covered his head had the insignia of a skull with a red 'x' marked across one eye, and a crimson cape flowed down the back of his black-leather suit.

The other was decidedly Asian looking, with dark skin and black hair. Over one eye he wore a monocle, while the other eye was almost completely white; he was blind in one eye. He wore a black trench coat over a gray-and-red ninja suit with large red shoulder armor that was samurai-like.

"I assure you, Sir… if you need someone taken care of, then you've come to the right people." The skull-masked one said from behind his mask.

"Yes… the infamous Red X… and the one known only as The Ghost." The Mayor stated. "I do indeed need someone taken care of… as a matter of fact, several people."

"… The more the merrier." Ghost said. "Or, in this case, the higher the body count."

"Right. Now, there are eight people down there. Seven of them must not come out alive. The last one, well… he doesn't have to die. But if he does, no one will miss him, if you catch my drift." Mr. Markov explained to the two assassins.

"Who is the highest priority?" Red X asked. "In case we have a shot at more than one."

"The girl." He replied without a flinch. "Long blonde hair and blue eyes. She's the one I want dead more than anyone else! I tried to take care of the matter myself long ago…" He sighed. "… Unfortunately, she seems to be too stubborn to die."

"Not to worry. We can be very…" Red X pulled an 'X' shaped shuriken from his cape and twirled it. "… Persuasive."

"Right. The two Tamaraneans and the two mercenaries have a hefty bounty on their head already from the Bloodtusks. And, the Royal Soldier with the Witch both have prices on their lives from the Convent mistress. As for that performer, no one will even notice he's gone. He was on his way out of town anyway…"

"How dangerous are they?" Ghost asked.

"The girl is as malicious as she is abnormal. You saw yourself the quakes that she's been causing. As for the two mercenaries… both of them used to be murderers, I hear, and the Tamaraneans are ruthless dictators in their homeland. The knight is corrupt, and the witch is nothing but pure evil. The green one is a scoundrel and a con, stealing people blind before they even know it…"

All of these were lies, of course, but the two assassins didn't know that. If they had known the truth, they would not have taken the job, and the mayor, shrewd devil that he be, was fully aware of that.

"Rest assured, Sir… we'll make sure they never cause anyone any trouble again." Ghost said with a respectful bow.

"… For the right price." Red X added.

Mayor Markov reached into a drawer on his polished desk with a businesslike smile, and pulled out a small black briefcase. Placing it on the table and unlatching the small iron clips on the side, he opened it up to reveal… several rows of pure gold bars; shining and sparkling in the light.

"You have my word, Gentlemen… that you will not regret doing business with me."

Red X and Ghost took one look at the gleaming bounty within the briefcase, and gave a hurried farewell before hurrying out the door towards the mine entrance.

The crooked Mayor sat down in his plush chair, smirking proudly. His little modification of the truth had worked flawlessly.

"Yes… after those two simpletons do the dirty job for me, I can personally kill them and collect the bounties for my own profit. _Hohohoh_… Good business, if I don't say so myself." He mused arrogantly, stroking his blonde goatee.

"Yes dear…" His wife spoke from a nearby window.

She was gazing listlessly out the window, her blue eyes strangely empty and hollow; her voice was pitchless and lacking emotion. The way she stood there was almost like a statue, with only the swirling of her longhair and sweeping skirt in the breeze to give the impression she was alive.

"Oh, Bah! Stupid thing… forgot to banish it again…" Mayor Markov muttered to himself.

He cracked his knuckles and swung a single hand at his wife, and it suddenly began to glow with shadowy energy as he muttered a few strange words under his breath.

Mrs. Markov crumpled to the ground. Then, with a hiss and a puff of smoke rising from her prone form, she flickered and faded, shrinking up… and then, with one last crackling sound, she was gone entirely.

"Doppelgangers are quite useful, but I simply can't stand to have one around longer than I must." The Mayor sniffed to himself disdainfully. "… Reminds me too much of that wench…"

"Come on; admit it: we're lost." Smoke groaned.

* * *

"No! I'm telling you I know where we are! Or… at least, I did. But… something's wrong. This place isn't on the map!" Robin said, pointing to the mine map he held. "We should've hit a dead end a while ago, but we just kept going…"

"… Perhaps we should turn around?" Sub-Zero suggested. "… I think it's clear that there's nothing down here but mud and rock."

Blackfire and Starfire were both less than suited to this environment in their fancy dresses. Star had been lifting her skirt to step over muddle puddles and Blackfire was constantly tripping over rocks.

"I hate this! We should've just stayed outside, Starfire…" Blackfire grumbled. "Damn caves… damn mud… damn filth… _Grrrr_!"

"Please, calm yourself, Sister." Starfire attempted to soothe her.

"Calm myself? How am I supposed to do that?" She muttered under her breath. "… I REALLY need to blast something right now…"

Robin turned to them. "Y'know… if you want, you COULD just go back up and wait for us in town. I can lead you guys to the exit and—"

"No. That would be wasting too much time, and besides…" Blackfire trailed off… mainly because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"He's right. You're welcome to wait for us at that Inn we stayed at earlier." Smoke offered. "We're big boys; we can handle ourselves."

Blackfire was silent for a moment. Then, looking down at her slightly frayed and dirtied skirt, she actually contemplated the idea in her mind…

"… You really wouldn't mind?" Blackfire asked. She felt bad about leaving them, but this place was getting on her nerves.

"Not at all. Star, would you rather wait up there for us, too?" Robin asked.

"I… well…" Starfire looked around at the dismal cavern. "… Yes… I think that would be preferable. But… what if something happens to you?"

"Smoke's right." Sub-Zero suddenly broke in. "We can handle ourselves. Don't worry about us; if you'd rather stay up there, then that's perfectly alright."

"Yeah! Come on; I'll show you back to the entrance…" Smoke volunteered himself, sidling up to Blackfire.

Abruptly Robin knocked him out of the way and walked up to Starfire.

"No! I mean, I better do it. You stay here with Zero in case anything happens."

"No… I"ll go with them." Smoke insisted.

"No… I will!" Robin glowered.

As the two Tamaraneans just stared bemusedly, Jinx sweatdropped and said "Actually… maybe it would be better if I went with them. I remember how to get back to the entrance. And that way, you can both go with Zero. This is your job anyway… we're just helping."

So, with a bit of resistance, it was decided that Jinx would take Starfire and Blackfire up to the surface while the guys pushed further on, still with no idea what they were looking for.

"This is ridiculous." Sub-Zero muttered as he ducked under a stalactite. "No amount of money could be worth this…"

"… There's something down here. I know that much." Beast Boy, who had been silent up until now, said with a shudder.

"How do you know?" Robin asked, gripping his staff nervously.

"Well… earlier, before you guys found me, I kept…. Well…. Seeing things. Things… moving…"

Smoke unconsciously reached for his crossbow and blunderbuss. "… Moving? What was it…?"

"I dunno. But… every so often, I'd look behind me and think that I'd seen something standing there. But then it would just disappear…"

"Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?" Sub-Zero said skeptically. "I don't make a habit of putting much stock in ghosts or monsters."

"Hell, those pig monsters were real enough for me." Smoke snorted. "And if they're real, then who knows what else is?"

* * *

"… Do you see them?"

"Yeah, I see 'em… but where's the others?"

"Huh?"

"The others! There were three girls with them…"

"Perhaps they split up."

"Yeah, well… then you better find them. I'll take these guys out myself."

"Are you quite sure? I mean—"

"We don't kill them all, we don't get paid. Simple as that. Now go!"

"As you wish…"

Red X and Ghost split ways; Red X to take down Robin, Beast Boy, Sub-Zero, and Smoke, and Ghost to assassinate Starfire, Blackfire, and Jinx.

As X watched his slippery partner disappear instantly into the shadows—which he was quite good at—he reached into a pair of black scabbards on his side a drew a pair of scimitars. The first had a shining gold hilt with a blood-red blade, and the second had a silvery hilt with a jet-black blade; other than the colors, both of the curved scimitars were quite the same… when held across each other, they formed a large, jagged X shape.

"… X marks the spot…"

* * *

"Geeze… it's even creepier down here with them gone." Smoke grumbled.

"Oh, you just wanted to keep an eye on Blackfire." Robin sighed. "… Personally, moreso on some parts than others."

"Me? What about you and redhead? Don't even tell me you—"

It was at this point that Sub-Zero stopped listening and groaned to himself. He wasn't sure which was more painful: the aching in his feet from marching so far in all that heavy armor, or the aching in his ears from listening to those two.

'I wonder if I was to just freeze them and drag them along behind me?' He mused. '… I could always thaw them out later…'

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "You guys always so loudmouthed? I mean, I'm not one to talk, but still…"

"HE STARTED IT!" Robin and Smoke shouted simultaneously.

"Don't make me come back there…" Zero said. This quieted them down a bit.

"Look. I think Starfire's cute, Ok? But that's nothing compared to the way you've been ogling over Blackfire." Robin sighed finally.

"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing." Smoke said defensively. "… It just ain't like you to be mixing business with pleasure."

Robin went stark red. "… W-what do you mean by THAT?"

Smoke chuckled. "Not what you think I mean… unless of course, I'm right."

"Alright, settle down guys. You're getting loud enough to wake the dead." Sub-Zero scolded.

"Heh… Well, this applies to you to, Mr. Heroic. I've seen the way you look at witchy-woman back there…" Smoke chortled.

"I…" Zero faltered. "… I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ah, nevermind. You guys are no fun, anyway… always so serious… you wouldn't know a joke if it walked up and bit you in the ass."

_Fweet_!

**Thump**!

The three of them were now so preoccupied by their bickering that none of them noticed Beast Boy suddenly crumple to the ground limply. They just kept on walking, assuming he was following behind them…

After they were out of sight, a black figure with a skull mask scuttled out from behind some rocks and examined his handy work, plucking a pair of X shaped shuriken from Beast Boy's neck.

"One down, three to go. Don't worry, little fella… I'll be back for you, later…"

Fading into shadows, Red X stalked along the path the others had taken…

* * *

"This is too easy. They make more noise than a goose getting raped by a grizzly bear…" Ghost chuckled to himself as he tracked the three girls. "They should have never split up… it'll be too easy like this. Although, it's a shame I have to kill defenseless women. Ah, but if they're half as bad as the Mayor said, then at least I'll have THAT to ease my conscience."

Taking out his scythe, he rattled the chains loudly and vanished from sight, going invisible.

"… Does anyone hear that…?" Jinx said suddenly.

_…Rattle, rattle, rattle…_

All three of them froze in place.

_… Rattle… Rattle rattle… rattle…_

Starfire gulped. "… What is making that sound?"

Blackfire lit up a ball of energy in her hand, prompting a shocked gasp from Jinx.

"You can do that?" Jinx demanded.

"Yes, there's no time to explain so just don't ask." Blackfire said bluntly. "Star, get ready… I think we've got company."

Starfire nodded and her eyes and hands began flashing green as well.

Jinx looked around and shrugged. "Well… may was well." She charged up a hex and prepared to sling it at the first thing she saw.

"… Who's there?" Blackfire demanded. "I know I hear someone."

"We are asking you politely to please show yourself!" Starfire added.

… Silence…

"… I don't think there's anyone there." Jinx said slowly.

Blackfire huffed and opened her mouth so speak… but instead, there was a loud ripping noise and she let out a hoarse scream and fell over to the ground.

Immediately, Jinx and Star rushed over, kneeling next to her and staring in disbelief.

There was a large bleeding gash—unmistakenably made by a blade—running down her back, her dress ripped in a straight vertical line. She moaned softly and clutched at her back as Jinx quickly tore a long strip of cloth from her skirt and tried to bandage the wound with it. Starfire floated up into the air, eyes blazing.

"Who has done this?" She demanded, launching a bolt at some nearby rocks, causing them to explode in a green nova. "COME OUT!"

"… Sorry. Afraid I can't." A voice echoed from everywhere at once. "You see, it's nothing personal; it's just business… but I'm going to kill you."

And at that point, Ghost appeared behind Star and kicked her in the back, sending her reeling into Jinx.

* * *

Beast Boy groaned and shuddered in his sleep. He was bleeding lightly from two pricks in his neck where the shuriken had hit, and the venom from the shuriken was taking effect already.

Slowly, a figure crept from the rocks nearby… the girl that had seen him earlier.

She hurried up to him and knelt down, examining him silently. Then, she picked him up in both arms like a sack, and she carried him off to a nearby wall.

As they came to what was naturally a dead-end, her eyes shone with gold… and a deep roar bellowed through the Earth itself, shaking the cavern to its foundations. The wall cracked up the center and opened itself up like a massive pair of Earthen doors, slowly grinding apart to allow entrance.

The girl carried Beast Boy in, cradling him to her chest. She whispered to him…

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you…"

The rocks closed up behind her, sealing them off from the outside world.

* * *

"Hey, uh… anybody seen Beast Boy?" Smoke asked, looking around.

Sub-Zero smacked his head. "Wasn't he just behind us?"

"He WAS… but where is he now?" Robin asked. "Did you see him leave?"

"No. Did you?" Sub-Zero said.

Robin rolled his eyes. "If I had, why would I be asking you?"

…

…..

…….

"… You'll meet up with him, soon enough." A raspy voice answered from the above them.

Abruptly, Red X materialized from thin air and swung both swords at Robin's head in a scissors-like motion. Reflexively, the boy wonder reacted at once. With a leap, he avoided the blades and sent Red X flying with a staff blow to the face.

Sub-Zero drew his sword and Smoke cocked his blunderbuss as the stranger got up and dusted himself off.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded, amazed that he'd been able to keep his head (both literally and figuratively.)

"Name's X… Red X. But you can call me, 'Sir'."

And with that, he threw a glowing X-shaped energy blast at them, exploding into flames before they could react.

As X drew his blades again, Sub-Zero stumbled to his feet. "Alright… I don't know why you're doing this, but you're under arrest! Do you realize you've just attacked—"

"Two ex-murderers and a corrupt piece of royal-swine? Absolutely. TAKE THIS!"

X leaped at him, brandishing both blades at once.

**CLANG!**

Blade and Staff met with a deafening sound as Robin and Red X struggled against each other's strength, deadlocked in one spot.

Smoke loaded up his blunderbuss and shouldered it, keeping both eyes open.

**_BLAM!_**

Red X was sent flying by the spray of fire and lead from the gun's barrel.

Smoke smirked, confident the assailant had been dealt with… but when the dust cleared, he was getting back up from the ground!

"What the? You should be dead!" Smoke protested.

Red X stumbled to his feet, in pain but not out of the fight. He motioned towards his suit and cloak. "… This stuff's not made of regular leather, y'know. Gunfire is nothing."

Sub-Zero growled and slung a massive shockwave of blue ice energy at him, but Red X leapt over it and hurled a fistful of shuriken. It was thanks only to quick reflexes that Zero brought his shield up in time, preventing him from becoming human swiss-cheese.

Red X charged Sub-Zero, swinging his double blades wildly. Zero countered with his own sword, dodging and parrying X's blows with ease.

"Give up." Zero panted, the swords clashing together deafeningly. "It's obvious who's the better swordsman."

"Look out!" X shouted suddenly.

Without thinking, Zero whipped around reflexively… opening him up for a fist to the face that sent him hurtling into a boulder with a grunt.

"… It's also obvious who's the more intelligent, Scum." Red X snarled from behind his mask. "Now why don't you do the world a favor and die."

Robin suddenly kicked Red X in the back, knocking him to the ground.

"HA!" Robin swung his Bo Staff at the stunned assassin whilst he was down, beating him in the chest and face relentlessly. Finally, X managed to kick Robin in the gut, knocking the wind out of him… then, he kneed him in the chin, causing the Boy Wonder to tumble backwards again.

Red X jumped to his feet and immediately dashed to the side as a barrage of arrows, courtesy of Smoke, whizzed past where he used to be standing.

"Why don't you put away those ranged weapons and fight like a man?" Red X sneered. "Swords and knives are much more personal."

Smoke scowled, loading some more arrows into his crossbow and cocking it. "… Swords are for people like Zero. Sticks are for people like Robin… and guns and bows are for me…" he paused. "… The arrows and bullets, however, are all yours."

Smoke fired off another volley of arrows, but X dodged each one of them with lightning speed, jumping and rolling to the side and flipping into the air.

"Grr… would you HOLD STILL?" Smoke roared, his constant arrow-fire doing little good against such a mobile opponent.

"Better idea yet." Red X yelled back, perching on a rock. "… How about you AIM?"

Infuriated, Smoke gave up firing and ran straight at X as though to grab him.

Unfortunately, Smoke's deft opponent did a hopping somersault over his head and came down right behind him, grabbing him by the neck and holding his crimson scimitar to his throat threateningly, ready to slit his neck open and spill his blood at a moment's notice.

"Tsk, tsk… you should really learn to control that temper of yours…"

….

…….

Robin and Zero, only just recovering from the beating they'd received, were not quite sure what to do… if they took one step further, Smoke was a goner.

"… What do you want?" Robin said slowly.

"… This isn't about what I want…" Red X hissed silkily. "… This is about what must be done. Injustice must be prevented. Debts must be repaid. And evil must be…" He tightened his grip on Smoke's neck. "… Slaughtered."

Abruptly, Red X toppled to the ground as the boulders beneath him rolled and tumbled.

"… Leave… them…. Alone…"

Everyone present was stunned. Not only was this a new voice, it was a… well… for lack of better words, a tiny feminine pansy-ish voice. A girl…

"Who's there?" X glowered, getting up from the ground. "It's you, isn't it? The one causing the quakes! I'm coming for you too; don't you worry."

He was so caught up in his monologue, he didn't notice the blunderbuss pointed at his head until he heard it cock.

"… (ca-click!)… Son, if you wanna keep that brain inside your head… you're gonna put your hands in the air and tell us what the Hell is going on…"

"He's the one that took your friend…" The small voice continued.

"… Beast Boy?" Robin asked sharply. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

"That little runt?" Red X sneered. "Heheh…"

"Give me one damn reason I shouldn't paint the walls with your blood right now." Smoke demanded, voice trembling with rage.

"… Because where would your freakish little friend be without my antidote?"

"That means nothing! I can take it from you once you're dead." Smoke countered.

"… And if you can't figure out how to apply it?" Red X uttered in a bizarrely calm voice, as though this was all a game to him.

"……." There was silence.

Robin shouted out to the voice. "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

"Don't play dumb." Red X said sharply. "It's not fooling me. We know you're all in this together."

"… 'We'? Who is 'We'?" Robin demanded.

"My partner… who has already taken care of your little female friends, no doubt."

THIS got Sub-Zero's attention. Abruptly, he stormed over and grabbed Red X by the collar. "No! You bastard… if either of you so much as put one hand on Jinx, I'll TEAR OUT YOUR SPINE AND HANG HIM WITH IT!" The knight bellowed.

Red X chuckled. "… If he didn't kill you first."

Zero, eyes shining, grabbed his hammer from his back and made as though to crush X's skull in.

"Ah-ah-ah… the antidote…?"

Reason clicked in Zero's mind, and he sighed heavily, lowering the weapon…

Smoke stared amusedly. "… And I thought you had no idea what I was talking about?" He taunted Zero.

Robin glowered. "Smoke, this is hardly the time or the place…"

Suddenly, something moved in the shadows… a girl. She had blue eyes and long blonde hair, with pale skin and dressed only in rags.

"… Are you…?"

"… Terra."

Robin stared. "Terra?"

"I told you, there's no use in carrying on with this act!" X spat vehemently.

"Look you moron… I don't know who you think you are, but I'm REALLY starting to suspect you've got the wrong guys. First you refer to us as 'murderers' and then you say we know this girl? You're full of it!" Robin growled.

Softening, he turned back to the girl. "Your name's… Terra?"

"Yes…"

Smoke stared. "… You're the one behind all these quakes?" He asked incredulously.

Suddenly, she took on a look of alarm. "I… I…"

Abruptly, she turned and ran.

"Wait! Hang on…" Smoke yelled. "We just want to talk!"

She froze in mid-jog, and turned to face them again, eyeing them nervously and fidgeting. "I… I didn't…"

"… Did you, or didn't you?" Robin said gently.

"… I… can't… help it…"

Robin stared. "So… it WAS you?"

"No! I mean… yes… I… please… don't kill me… don't kill me…" She fell to her knees and started rocking back and forth.

"Kill you? You saved our friend, Beast Boy! Why would we—" Robin began, but was cut off.

"Beast Boy…?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah… y'know… short green little guy? Changes into stuff?" Smoke explained. "He's… kinda hard to miss…"

Sub-Zero put away his weaponry and dusted himself off. "I assure you, we're not here to hurt you, but… I don't understand… why are you doing this?"

"I can't… It… happens. I can't stop it…" Terra moaned slowly.

Robin and Zero looked at each other while Smoke kept his firm hold on Red X, with the gun barrel pointed at his head.

"… Do you know why it's happening?" Robin asked.

There was a long pause. The silence was ringing, even more deafening than the sword-clashes and gunfire of before.

"… Dreams…"

"What?" Robin blinked confusedly.

"Dreams… bad dreams."

Sub-Zero stared. "You're saying nightmares are causing you to… make earthquakes?"

The girl nodded. Then, she spoke… "Monsters… they weren't here before. They're here now… I don't want to stay down here anymore. I can't go outside…"

"Why not?" Smoke asked.

"…" The girl apparently had no real answer to this.

"Look, if it's not your fault, we can just tell the Mayor that. He seems like a nice enough guy, and… well, maybe he'll understand." Smoke said.

Robin shook his head. "… Smoke… whether she did it intentionally or not, she DID level several buildings… I don't think Mr. Markov would be too happy about that."

Terra began trembling violently.

Zero walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"No… no, don't… I can't… he'll kill me!" She blurted out. "He'll kill me…"

"No… I'LL Kill you." X corrected dryly.

"One… more… word…" Smoke snarled hatefully. "… And I'll rip your eyes out of their sockets! … Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to your little friend if he hurts Blackfire…"

"Why would he kill you?" Robin pressed, kneeling down to her. "Why?"

She shrugged shakily. It seemed she didn't know.

"Look, this is… a lot more than we bargained for." Robin said to Zero and Smoke. "We need to find Beast Boy. Then, we need to find the girls… before…" He trailed off.

"Can you take us to Beast Boy?" Zero asked Terra.

She nodded, and motioned for them to follow as she got to her feet.

As they followed, Smoke prodded X roughly with his blunderbuss barrel. "You… you're comin' with us…"

_**A Few Minutes Later…**_

They stood in the small hidden chamber that Terra called home… it had a wooden table with a few chairs, and a makeshift "Bed" of hay and cotton quilts, with a bag of grains served as a pillow.

On this primitive bed, lay Beast Boy.

"You! Cure him, on the double!" Smoke ordered. "… Before I give your inner child a lead enema."

Grudgingly, Red X stepped forward and bent over, grabbing some strange herbs from his black cloak and using them on Beast Boy in a strange manner… murmuring and doing weird gestures with his gloved hands as he did so.

… Shortly afterward, Beast Boy's eyes fluttered open and he yawned widely.

"… Dude… What… what… happened…?"

"This rat here tried to poison you." Sub-Zero said wryly. "… And SHE saved you." He added, jerking his thumb at Terra.

Beast Boy's bleary green eyes drifted to Terra… she promptly blushed and turned, avoiding eye contact.

There was a long silence…

BOOM!

"Oof!"

Red X elbowed Smoke and Zero in the guts simultaneously and hauled ass down a nearby stone corridor, catching everyone by surprise.

"S-s-s… son of a…" Smoke groaned angrily as he caught his breath.

The three of them, along with the newly recovered Beast Boy, began chasing him…

… Until Terra jumped in their way. "No! No, you can't—"

"Out of the way, Terra." Zero said gruffly. "Time to finish what we started."

And with that, they charged past her while she pleaded frantically.

"No! Not down there! NO!"

Her cries going unheeded, they pursued Red X until he abruptly disappeared from view…

… A moment later, it abruptly became clear why as they tumbled off the same ledge he had.

As the battered warriors got to their feet, they found themselves inside what looked like a huge pit-shaped chamber. Unlike the rest of the cavernous mines, its floor was covered in a thick layer of sand and dirt…

"Grr… Time to finish this once and for all!" Robin roared.

"Agreed…" Red X responded.

As the two sides began slowly approaching each other…

…

…..

…………………

**RRUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMBBBLLLLEEEEEEEE!**

The entire chamber suddenly came alive, shaking violently. As they all looked around, they saw something startling.

There was a trail coming at them… a trail in the sand, like something below… something the size of a small whale.

"What… the…?" Smoke started, but he was interrupted.

"_**SCRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**"_

A large snake-like thing, with fangs and leathery red skin lunged from the dirt at Smoke's legs. With a startled yelp, he jumped out of the way, dodging its snapping teeth and jaws.

But that didn't stop it. The thing, eerily lacking any form of eyes, lunged next at Red X, who black flipped over it and came down on its head with a powerful stomp.

It screeched and angrily and retreated back into the ground…

Suddenly, the shaking and trembling of the Earth resumed… and the middle of the pit swelled and warped, something growing and coming out…

"Oh God… There must be a million of them!" Zero yelled, badly panicked.

… And then, all Hell erupted from the ground up.

A worm, with a black razor-sharp beak and the size of a baby whale, erupted upwards from the ground. It had no eyes, but where its eyes should have been there was part of the black beak. Its entire brown, leathery body was coated with black spikes and bony bumps.

The monster opened its mouth and loosed a dreadful roar, chilling the bones of all present. And then, it became apparent where the snakes were coming from…

… They weren't snakes at all. They were tongues. Tentacles. Three of them total, they squirmed and writhed in the giant worm's mouth, snapping and hissing.

"No there's not a million." Robin grunted grimly, tightening his grip on his staff. "… Just… one…"


	8. Chapter Seven

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titan's aren't my property, except of course my three O.C.'s _

_**Moonlight Maelstrom—Chapter Seven**_

"… Well… that wasn't so hard." Ghost mused to himself. "… A few seconds and the job's half done." He motioned to the wounded Blackfire on the ground. "Oh, and since I never introduced myself… the name's Ghost."

"… It certainly seems to fit." Starfire said vehemently. "You will soon be dead!"

Starfire rushed him, her normally doe-eyed visage blazing with fury as Jinx tended to her sister, Blackfire. She raised a fist, shrouded in emerald energy, and swung at the assassin ninja with as much power as she could muster.

He smiled, and in a flash of dark mist he was gone, leaving Star's fist to crunch painfully into the rock behind him. She withdrew her hand with a gasp and stared.

Pain coursed through her fist, but she ignored it, overcome with amazed confusion. Where he had been, there was nothing… except a massive, sparking crater in the stone wall.

"… Eenie, meenie, minie, moe…" Ghost's apparently-disembodied voice echoed across the caverns. "… Which of you'll… be first… to go…?" It was something between a silky hiss and a cackle.

"Where are you?" Jinx demanded, her eyes glowing pink as she looked up from Blackfire. "… I swear, I'll kill you… I dare you to come back here! I'll—"

She was cut off as she felt a tap on the shoulder. She fell silent and turned around.

Ghost was standing right behind her in all his glory. "… Boo. Nothing personal, Miss… but I must kill you now." He swung his hand and slapped her across the face, sending her rolling along the ground with a loud yelp, before he disappeared into the ground with a melting-effect, chuckling the whole way.

She moaned, rubbing her red cheek where he'd slapped her as Starfire helped her to her feet. "What the… where are you?" She groaned.

"… Maybe I'm here…" His voice came from behind a large boulder to their immediate left.

Starfire screeched angrily and blasted a massive ray of green power from her eyes, swelling and shattering the boulder with a massive explosion. Smoldering chunks pattered to the ground in a cloud of smoke and green light as the blast faded.

Where the remains of the boulder was, there was absolutely no one.

"On second thought… perhaps I'm over here…"

Jinx whirled around and slung a fast and furious string of hexes at the area from whence the voice had come. But although they heard the shattering of rocks and the hiss of smoke from the blast, there was no cry of pain or any other human sound.

"No… I'm not there, am I?" He continued, as though to taunt them. "… Look up."

They blinked and slowly tilted their heads upwards.

Ghost was hanging above them, his sandal-clad feet holding him to the rocky ceiling with a massive pair of black, leathery wings folded around himself like a monstrous, grotesque bat.

Jinx drew in a shaky breath. "… Wha… what… _are_ you…?"

He smiled politely, displaying some eerily sharpened canines and pearly, spiky white molars. "… Your worst nightmare…"

… A lance of crackling violet light illuminated the chamber and lashed into Ghost, piercing him and tearing him from the ceiling, slamming his body into the wall with a crunch just before he thumped to the stone floor.

"Nightmare… my… my ass…" Blackfire grunted, having heaved herself from the ground even as she bled copiously from the back, where his blade had ravaged her dress and slashed her flesh.

A large pile of debris, consisting of dust and pebbles and stones, lay on top of the slightly scorched Ghost, and he didn't seem to be moving under it…

Jinx and Starfire rushed to steady Blackfire and then, the three of them began approaching the pile of debris together, ready to finish him when he stuck his head up. Jinx glared and conjured a hex ball in her hand, blazing neon-pink and hissing eerily, while Star and Blackfire charged up sizzling energy blasts…

There was a slight twitch from the pile and the trio froze, staring tensely…

…………

…………

………………

"_RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRGH_!" Ghost snarled loudly, a massive pair of wings shattering the pile of debris and sending it hurtling in all directions like razor-sharp stone shrapnel and knocking the three girls to the ground roughly with the sheer force of air from his wings flapping.

He stared at the prone girls, his mismatched eyes narrowed. "How rude… You could have smashed my monocle… for that… you die."

With a metal hiss, he whipped his golden katana from its sheath and rushed them, intent on butchering them then and there.

Blackfire, vision swirling from head trauma and blood loss, had just enough time to groan and roll out of the way before Ghost brought the blade down on the ground with terrifying power, splitting a rift into the solid stone beneath their feet.

This evasive maneuver brought her no peace as he abruptly reached over and snatched her by the hair, prompting a scream as he literally yanked her up and tossed her over into a wall, adding both insult and injury to an already agonizing situation. Blackfire slumped limply to the ground, completely unconscious.

… Before Ghost had time to enjoy the temporary victory, he abruptly felt a pair of small, but ludicrously strong, hands grab him by the throat, strangling him and prompting a surprised gurgle. Starfire, now thoroughly pissed off, had seized him and begun choking him. She yanked him around in her grip to face him.

"Stop hurting my sister!" She screeched.

"Yes… well…" He stammered out, low on breath. "I'd be happy to give you a turn as well."

Ghost suddenly kneed her in the gut, causing her to gasp and double over with a whimper, at which point Ghost brought the knee up into her chin, bringing her right back upright with a shudder-inducing snap. He finished her with a karate chop to the side of the head, and she crumpled to the ground, everything going black.

Jinx took quick aim while his back was turned, and broke into a run in his general direction, heels tapping in rapid staccato fashion on the ground. With a grunt, she heaved herself into the air, leaping into the air and stretching her leg out. She began twirling quickly in a spinning corkscrew kick. Her long, slender body hurtled through the air and slammed Ghost's back, sending him into the wall once again.

With a heave and a glower, he managed to peel himself from the wall and turn around—just in time to see a barrage of glimmering bad-luck blasts spiraling towards him and letting off pink sparkles and glimmering pink mist.

Rather than attempt to dodge the nigh-unavoidable hex, he opted for a more simple battle tactic: defense. He reflexively wrapped his wings around himself like a bat and stiffened up into a rigid state.

There was a loud crack as the hexes hit him head on, leaving sparking burns on the outer edges of his wings… but no harm beyond that. Their leathery black scales seemed to be impenetrable.

He opened them up and took to the air with his katana raised, preparing for an aerial assault and glaring down at her.

She slung wave after wave of pulsing pink hexes his way, but he darted amongst the stalactites and weaved through the rifts in the stone, avoiding them all. Unfortunately, the ill-aimed hexes loosened said stalactites and sent them hurtling downwards like giant earthen blades.

Jinx only managed to spot this and jump out of the way seconds before they slammed into where she'd been standing; had she not moved she would've been impaled to the spot.

She turned another and started to throw another hex blast, but… she had lost sight of him. She only saw a large, empty cavern…

… Unfortunately, she felt his presence before she saw him.

Something long, sharp, and serrated pierced her dress and skin, hacking into her back and staying there—Ghost's scythe. She mouthed silently, like a fish out of water, in too much pain to even make so much as a sigh.

Ghost, gloved hands firmly on the other end of the chained scythe, gave a small chuckle… and yanked the chain with all his might.

The chain went taut, the pressure building and pulling progressively harder on Jinx's back, setting her spine afire. … NOW, she could scream.

And then, a long, wet, ripping noise and a splattering metal clank… the blade was jerked out, taking what felt like part of her with it… and so her scream wavered into a groan, and she went thumping to the ground, whiting out into unconsciousness…

But before she lost it completely, her eyes fluttered open one more time—just in time to see Ghost's sandal being raised above her face… and then… it came crashing down…

In one blow, she was knocked out.

Gazing at the three KO'd foes, he tried vaguely to decide whom he disliked the most. … Almost immediately, Starfire came to mind. He unsheathed his blade…

He crossed the distance between them, twirling the shiny gold blade in his hands as he went, even running his gloved fingers over its edge.

Starfire lay limply on the ground, propped partially against the wall at a painful angle with her eyes closed. He stood over her and raised the katana above his head… with a spin, he turned it around so that he clutched it upside down with the blade pointing to the ground… and he positioned it just above her stomach.

Preparing himself for what had to be done, and mentally telling himself that at least his method would be instant and painless, he took a deep breath to steady himself… he closed his eyes…

And brought the blade straight down, his grip on the handle tightening grimly as he felt it penetrate and sink in…

……

………

…………

… Right into the stone ground…

… Something wasn't right. He looked down at the person he was supposed to kill, and he saw innocence. There wasn't so much as a trace of anything dark or sinister about her. Surely this wasn't the face of a bad person…

'If she didn't deserve it, I wouldn't have been hired to kill her.' Ghost reasoned simply to himself, raising his katana again to strike her. But even the second time, as he prepared to swing his blade, something… something stayed his hand. … He couldn't do it.

… He just knew that something didn't jive here. And he suddenly felt that perhaps roughing them up so much hadn't been such a good idea after all.

'… You've killed people before, Coward, why can't you do it now?' He lamented to himself.

He sighed heavily and sheathed his blade. Obviously, he was getting nowhere fast as it was. He didn't know what to do, except maybe go find Red X for further instructions.

Blackfire groaned from nearby, and he was suddenly reminded that two of the girls he'd just attacked were in very real danger of bleeding to death.

He sighed and began rummaging through his trench-coat pockets for some bandages and medicines…

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terra scrambled frantically towards the tunnel that Robin, Sub-Zero, and Smoke had pursued Red X through as Beast Boy stumbled along behind her.

"What's wrong? What's down there?" He asked, alarmed.

She paused and looked up at him. "… I… there are monsters down there. These… things… I don't even know how to describe. I don't know how they got there either. I've been living down here for years and I've never seen them until now… I don't want to stay anymore. I have to get out, but…" She trailed off. "…… Look… we have to save your friends before it's too late. Now come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him down into the tunnel with her before he could protest.

They made their way to the drop-off point that the four of them had taken the spill off of, and looked down, straining their eyes to see through the inky subterranean darkness.

Robin, Red X, Sub-Zero, and Smoke were on top of a large boulder staring down at the ground—which, to Beast Boy's shock, had a large… something… tunneling around under it, leaving a sort of raised trail of dirt as it went.

"… What… IS that thing…?" Red X mumbled, eying the dirt warily. He seemed to have forgotten he was supposed to kill these three guys, and they seemed to have forgotten the same.

"… I… I dunno… It looks like… some kinda giant baitworm…" Smoke said.

"With teeth… and a beak… and tentacles…" Robin added. "And… it's gigantic."

As if on cue, three snakelike tentacles broke the surface of the ground, writhing along the lower edges of the boulder they were sitting on.

"… I think it's looking for us…" Sub-Zero said. "…… Maybe if we wait long enough, it'll go away."

"No. That won't work!" Terra called down, prompting them to look up. "It'll just keep waiting there until you're dead."

"How do you know?" Robin yelled back up.

In response, Terra pointed across the huge chamber to another boulder. They stared over at it, trying to make out the details—and as their eyes became accustomed to the dark, they realized that a bleached-looking, white skeleton was lying sprawled across its top.

"… Oh…"

**BLAM!**

Smoke fired his blunderbuss at the trail of dirt in the ground, prompting a small explosion of dirt and smoke… but there was only a muffled growl from beneath the ground, and the thing kept moving—it hadn't been harmed in the least.

"… Damn." Smoke muttered, reloading. "… I never thought I'd have to shoot through dirt. It's one of the best bullet-stops there is…"

"Well, why don't you just wait for it to surface?" Robin asked.

"… And how long do you think that will take?" Red X said bitingly. "… It won't come back up until it thinks there's food down there for it."

"Well then… Why not go for a little stroll and see if that brings him out?" Robin countered grimly.

"Why bother? I could just throw you down there." X came back at him.

"You—" Robin started to get up, just as X did, but Sub-Zero reached up and shoved them both back down.

"**Enough**! _Mon Dieu_, we've had enough trouble without you two bickering. We're all in the same boat now, so we're going to have to work together!"

"He started it" Robin yelled and Red X growled simultaneously.

"And I'm gonna finish it." Sub-Zero said, rolling his eyes. "… _Merde_…"

**BLAAAM!**

There was another gargantuan blast from the end of Smoke's gun, but it was as ineffective as the first, succeeding only in giving his compadres a scare.

"Would you please stop?" Robin said, irked. "It's not doing any good…"

"……" Smoke was suddenly quite pale, not looking well at all.

"Huh…? Smoke… are you ok?" Robin asked.

Smoke swallowed in response. "I get…… Uncomfortable……. Around bugs…"

For a moment, the other three almost forgot there was a gigantic man-eating monster circling them from below and, instead, they stared incredulously at the shaky marksman.

"…… Don't tell me you're afraid of bugs…" Zero started, but he trailed off—possibly to keep himself from laughing.

Smoke flushed. "I'm NOT scared of no bugs! I just… just… Don't like 'em…"

"Guys!" Terra suddenly called from above them. "Stay put! I'm going to get you out!"

Beast Boy turned to her and blinked. "Huh? How?"

She didn't answer right away, leaving him only more confused. But when her eyes began shining yellow again, he knew what she was doing.

Sure enough, the boulder they were sitting on began to stir of its own accord, quaking and quivering. Before too long, a small cloud of dust formed as it began loosening itself from the ground, rising up, floating…

The creature below didn't seem the least bit pleased with this, as a muffled screeched echoed forth from the ground and reverberated around the entire cavern. But screech and slap its tentacles about as it might, it couldn't stop the rock from moving. It seemed Terra was going to be able to get them to safety…

… Unfortunately, things were never that easy.

Shortly after the rock left the ground and began floating upwards towards Terra and Beast Boy, there was a sudden rumbling and stirring of the sands below. It was almost as if the ground was water, and it was suddenly boiling, whirling, frothing.

The creature's wormlike body, at least thirty feet long, hurled itself through the ground and upwards in an arc, like a whale diving out of the sea. It aimed itself, maw open and tentacles writhing, at the heroes on the suspended boulder.

Smoke clambered to the front, shoving the others out of the way. He cocked his gun with a click and took precise, rapid aim. "… Suck on this, Ugly."

An explosion of fire and lead lit the darkness and a ringing bang shattered the air as the blunderbuss spat flames and pellets from its bell straight into the bloated beast's open mouth, prompting a gory geyser of blood, slime, and spit from within as the hideous thing shrieked in angry agony and tumbled to the ground.

"God I hate bugs." Smoke glowered…

Sub-Zero blinked impressedly. "Nice shot. You'd make a fair musketman for the army…"

Robin shook his head. "Smoke and I… don't really care for authority. We're better off on our own."

Red X, sitting silently in the corner narrowed his eyes. "……"

"What are you staring at?" Robin demanded, masked gaze narrowing as well. "If you've got something to say, say it!"

"…… You can't be the right guys."

"… What?"

"The mayor hired us to ice a bunch of cut-throat ruffians. … You CAN'T be the right people……"

"Uh, Hate to tell ya Bonedaddy, but… chances are, they mayor set you guys up. I'm beginning to think he set all of us up." Smoke snarled.

Red X was silent…

Terra kept her focus, trying not to let anything bother her lest she lose her concentration and drop the boulder. She strained with effort, eyes glowing gold…

Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder. "Keep it up! They're almost out of there…"

Neither of them noticed a dark figure, toting three others over its shoulder like sacks, approaching from behind…

They were almost out of the chamber, and just as well because the worm beast on the floor was far from dead; merely stunned, it was. It was now wriggling again, ready for another attack. If it got up the strength for another leap…

Terra suddenly felt a tap on the back. "Pardon me… have you seen a fellow in a skull mask come through here…?"

She was so startled her eyes flickered and went back to blue as she gasped… and the boulder plummeted to the ground, with the four guys still on it, and shattered, throwing them with yells of fright in various directions.

Before Terra could even realize what had happened, the worm knew. It was gone towards the nearest target—Robin.

The masked martial artist barely had time to get a glance at his surroundings before one of the snakelike tentacles whipped out with a squeal, piercing the surface of the ground and latching onto his leg like a giant, abhorrent leech. He gnashed his teeth and reached for his staff to beat it away, but within seconds it was joined by three others, ripping, biting, yanking at his legs as the worm slowly rumbled towards him.

CLANK!

There was a gurgling screech as a crimson blade came down and severed the tentacles in two. It was Red X.

He kicked the wriggling parts away and helped Robin to his feet as Smoke and Zero came running over to them.

Robin stared incredulously at the skullfaced assassin.

"… Thank me later." He hissed simply.

In response, Robin frowned and whipped out his staff, swinging it fiercely at the other's head. Red X gasped and ducked…

… And realized soon afterward, as another tentacle—which had been behind him—went flying, that he hadn't been aiming for him.

"Likewise." Robin replied with a smirk

The worm monster must've been tired of losing its appendages by this point, though it still had numerous more, because it reared back up, and it plunged itself down into the ground below them, out of sight.

"And now… I think we should run." Zero said dryly.

And they did, scrambling for another tall boulder.

… Meanwhile, up near the exit Beast Boy was still berating the confused ninja in front of him. "Idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"… Not really, No." Ghost said in a tone of complete politeness, laying the three unconscious girls—now bandaged up—on some smooth rocks. "But I really must find my partner, you see… I think we're on a bit of a wild goose chase, as it were…"

Terra shook her head. "If you're talking about that skull-faced jackass down there, he's just fine… but not for long. He's about to get eaten, along with my friends if we don't do something!"

… Terra realized after a moment that she'd just referred to them as 'friends' even though she didn't know them that well. … Were they…?

Ghost's head snapped up, suddenly all business. With one fluid movement, he glided over to the edge and looked down upon the four below as they scrambled onto a rock, away from the reemerging beast.

He stared for a moment…

… And without further questions, leapt off the edge.

Beast Boy yelled. "What the… is he _crazy_?"

A moment later, Ghost came back up, carried by an enormous pair of wings sprouting from his back, flapping downwards towards the others at great speeds, so much that he looked more like a large black blur than anything.

Terra and Beast Boy could only stare, stunned.

… It didn't take Ghost long to get down to the boulder they were on, at which point Red X seemed both delighted and annoyed to see him.

"Ghost! Where have you been?" He asked.

"Well, I went to go dispatch those girls as you ordered, and then—"

"You WHAT?" Sub-Zero interrupted, grabbing Ghost by the coat collar and hoisting him up. "I swear to God, if you hurt Jinx I'm going to—"

"Jinx… Jinx…" Ghost murmured, cutting him off. He looked mildly interested. "Tall and slender, with pink hair and silvery skin, with rather prominent felinesque eyes?"

"Yes, yes!" Zero snapped. "What have you done with her?"

"And Starfire!" Robin added.

"Blackfire, too!" Smoke grunted, hoisting his gun for another shot.

"Oh, don't worry Gentlemen. They're very much alive—a bit, um… worse for the wear, but still all right." He said as though oblivious to their threats, in that same ludicrously polite tone.

Red X yanked Ghost away from Zero and sat him back down. "Look… I think that Markov prick played us for saps. These guys… they ain't what he made them out to be."

Ghost nodded. "You're right. I got the same feeling when I started to—" He suddenly remembered Robin's presence. "Ah… nevermind. Just, what do we do now?"

"Well…" Smoke interrupted, sounding peeved. "We won't be doing anything if we get eaten alive!"

"He's right." Robin said. "We have to get away from this thing somehow…"

"I can fly one or two of you out of here…" Ghost said. "But… what about the rest?"

At this point, a huge green albatross-like bird squalled from above them, and came flapping down as well, landing neatly behind them and changing into none other than Beast Boy.

"I can take Smoke and Zero!" Beast Boy volunteered eagerly, glad to help. "Look, Ninja dude, can you get Robin and… um…" He faltered.

"Red X."

"Yeah. Robin and X?"

Ghost nodded. "All right. We have a plan, then… but…" He paused, and looked down at the dirt being kicked up by the rapidly circling monstrosity below. "… How are we going to get past without being attacked…?"

"Hey! … Hey!" Terra yelled from up top, her small voice echoing downwards. "I'll count to three. Then I'll distract it… and you guys fly up here!" She said simply.

… Smoke and Zero each grabbed onto Beast Boy's talons as he changed into the large green bird again; Robin and Red X grabbed onto Ghost's arms as he unfurled his wings.

… Robin stared as Zero took out a rum bottle from his belt and downed it in a couple gulps. He cocked his head quizzically.

"…… If I'm gonna die…" Zero said nonchalantly. "… I might as well go out with a drink in my hand."

Terra scanned her eyes over the cavern and spotted a large rock over on the side of the far wall. She locked eyes onto it and began to concentrate, and call down to the guys waiting below…

"One…!"

The rock floated upwards, and began scraping the ground—so much that it began to attract the monster's attention. It's long ugly head reared from the sands, chopping its beak-like mouth.

"Two…!"

The creature began squirming towards the rock, as though thinking it was food…

"THREE!"

The boulder slammed abruptly into the creature's head, knocking it for a loop and causing it to loose a painful roar as it tumbled back.

Simultaneously, the bird and bat took to the air with the others holding on for dear life.

Within moments, they were up top with Terra, at which point Ghost—weighted down and exhausted with Robin and Red X—collapsed with a groan, and B.B. did likewise.

Terra stared at the guys heaped and sprawled before her as she focused her powers, moving a boulder to block the path to the creature's lair.

"Are you guys Ok?" She asked concernedly.

Sub-Zero coughed. "Never… been better…" He said dryly.

Robin sat up and shook his head—and he was the first to notice Starfire, Blackfire, and Jinx laid out across the stones, unconscious and bandaged heavily.

… After a couple seconds, he made the connection and he immediately lunged at Ghost. "You son of a bitch!"

Ghost only just had time to yelp and duck before having his head knocked off with a Bo-Staff. He got back up and saw Smoke and Zero scrambling over as well. "… Oh Dear…"

"What the Hell did you do to them?" Smoke demanded, falling on his knees over Blackfire.

"Well, considering I was hired to kill them, I'd say they made it out in pretty good condition." Ghost said evasively.

"I'll show you good condition…" Sub-Zero snarled, eyes suddenly crackling with a pale blue light. He drew his sword with a misty hiss. "_En Garde_!"

Ghost stepped back a couple times and gulped. "I really… would prefer not to fight you… but if I must…" He whipped out his golden katana, sliding into battle stance. "…… I will…"

Red X stomped over, brandishing his twin blades. "And me too!"

Robin and Smoke, wielding staff and crossbow respectively, stepped up beside Zero. Robin spoke… "It's still three to one!"

Beast Boy and Terra sighed. This wasn't good…

The pair ran in-between the two sides, as though to prevent them from pouncing upon each other.

"Would all of you just stop?" Terra all-but-screamed in frustration. "Look, it was all a mistake! And it's not going to do anyone any good if you all slaughter each other down here!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Beast Boy added. "… Who we should REALLY be out to get is that punk Mayor that trapped us all down here!"

They were interrupted by a soft groan from the side of the room…

… Jinx seemed to be awakening.

She rolled over onto her side with a gasp and clutched shakily at her bandaged back with a quivering moan. She felt the cold, damp surface of the rocks and shivered.

"Where… am… I?" She said slowly, disoriented.

Zero was over at once, grabbing her lightly in a gentle embrace. "Oh thank God, thank God You're all right!" He sighed, looking upon the brink of breakdown himself.

She snapped out of her daze somewhat and wrapped a slender arm around his neck. "… Zero… It's you. Where… where's that—"

She was cut off midsentence as her eyes drifted over past the other two girls, still knocked out, all the way past the others and to Ghost, who was suddenly very fascinated with the ground at his feet.

"…. You…" Jinx hissed, eyes crackling pink.

"Indeed." Ghost sighed heavily. "…… Me."

"… Calm down…" Zero said softly, patting Jinx's shoulder. "… I think… He's on our side, now."

Jinx stared incredulously as though to protest, but before she could, Ghost himself spoke up.

He suddenly strode to the center of the room, within a few feet of Robin, Sub-Zero, and Smoke. He stuck his sword into the ground with a sharp clang, knelt down and propped himself upon it, saying: "… I… have wronged you all deeply. I took the word of a lying public official over my own gut feeling. For this, I bear the shame… thus, I invite any of you that wish to strike me down now."

… There was a stunned ringing silence.

They stood there silently; it seemed that, as angry as they were over the girls, they couldn't bring themselves to attack Ghost.

But someone could.

A sudden blast of colored light shot through the room and blew Ghost into a far wall…

As several stunned pairs of eyes turned to look, a blonde man was descending into the room, smiling wickedly.

"Strike you down? … If you insist."


End file.
